This Is Reality
by whyyagottaknow
Summary: It was just an average day for Dodger, until one day she turned on the news to come to realize the dead had reanimated. Through her lonely days, she stumbles upon people who secretly need her. Not knowing how they will react, she goes along with it only to be their leader.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Being 18 and all alone in the middle of the world going to shit isn't what it's like in the television shows, comics, and movies. Not having someone to have your back, not knowing when you are going to eat, every survivor you meet may not be sane. Entering a group is risky, nothing is like it used to be or was pictured to be. Nothing is supplied, there is no supply crates, nothing is left, you're on your own for literally everything now.

Since the beginning of this mess, I've been alone. It's been roughly 6 months if I have been counting correctly. The only thing I can trust nowadays is my lucky hunting knife, and my crossbow. There's not much to me, and I can't describe myself too well. My long black hair only makes the heat of Georgia worse for me, my blue eyes glisten in the bright sunlight. Sadly, in high school I was widely known for large boobs... they all called me "Double D" it was very humiliating. Sure, that's my size, sort of, but no one ever called me by my real name, Dodger.

Walking down the burning hot highways of Georgia is never fun. It's easy to get dehydrated, but lesser chances of being cornered by those 'things'. I haven't made up a good term for them, all I know is that they are dead, and they want to eat every living thing they can get their nasty, rotted hands on. Over my days of surviving, I've run into groups, most were very unstable or at the risk of dying any day. I'm better off on my own, less things I have to worry about.

Then the day came, when I ran into a group that had potential, but was going down real fast and real hard. They needed some serious saving before they fell, and they looked to me for guidance. Out of nowhere, practically overnight, I became their new leader. I didn't have the slightest clue on why, but this is how it began.

Since it is more than likely the end of January, it's slowly becoming warmer. Even though I'm in Georgia doesn't mean it's always warm here. The winters can get pretty brutal.

I pulled my hat over my ears, zippered my coat, held my crossbow ready for action, and went south, in hope of finding food and shelter.

Hunting is dandy and all, but when I light a fire in the middle of nowhere, I have now become an easy target for anything. For the next few days I eat squirrel and a single fish, trying to limit my use of fire. Even though it may be cold, I could be dead if I let it go all night for heat.

Trailing through the woods isn't as accurate than walking along the road, but it's easier for me. Lately, I've had the eerie feeling of someone following me. It's not a dead thing because if it was, it would be dead again already. Usually my senses are well enough to let me know if the presence is bad or not, but I just can't tell. It's something I've never experienced before.

I made my way back to the highway because I found a map. By looking at the map, and using my best judgement to pinpoint my location, I was about 10 miles from the next town. Since I had left Terminus, I have barely reached any kind of water. Celia was human enough to give me a gallon of water when we split but it didn't last as long as I thought it would. The gallon was bone dry and I was on the verge of moderate dehydration. I had searched every vehicle I have passed with no luck whatsoever. By the looks of it, the cars were never opened, but completely empty, it was just strange.

I walked for another few miles or so until I came upon water bottle and gallons in the middle of the road... Who in the hell... I know I was being watched but they are still following me? Taking the water is risky. Whoever left these could have contaminated or unfiltered them and could not have boiled the water properly. I walk past them like I never saw them. Even though my bow is across my back, I tighten the grip on my knife, whoever it is, they were close.

I followed the map to the town I saw, when I arrived and cleared it out, it was useless. I rummaged through the apartments and stores, only to find two bottles of water and an old Swiss Army knife. I went through all that for food, and didn't get any. The bottled water is good and all but I need food. I haven't eaten in days, I'm starting to become weaker and more fatigued. If I don't come across some type of food, I could be done for.

After leaving the town I went off into the woods again. Upon entering I quickly shot and obtained two squirrels. I was posted behind a log when I saw a rabbit. As I pulled the trigger to my crossbow, another arrow had hit it just before mine. The way the arrow impaled the rabbit, the hunter was to my right. I quickly and quietly climbed the tree next to me to get a bird's eye view of the hunter. He was kind of tall and held a bright green compound bow.

"Now where'd ya go?" He called out

I sat on the branch with him in my sight to get a closer look at him. The grin he plastered on his face did not seem very friendly to me. It was kind of like a "rapist" smirk. He picked up the rabbit and his arrow, leaving mine by the tree. Was he the one who was following me? As I watched him leave, he joined a group of men. I have to admit, men sometimes scared me more than anything nowadays. Since they are so inactive, any of them could turn into the men at Terminus. They are all just so desperate...

Once the group was far gone I hopped down and collected my arrow. Headed east, away from them, I continued on. I walked and walked through the woods until I heard the men's voices again. I lowered myself into the crouching position and stayed in the woods. There was a man and a woman sitting next to each other by a small fire next to a truck. They were speaking but I couldn't hear them. When the group of men approached the man and woman, panic was all over. An old fat man pulled a young boy from the truck and held him in a headlock. I thought that was illegal?


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Both the man and woman had a gun to their head and an older man with a vest standing in front of them rambling on about New Years. The another man in a vest came from behind the truck and stopped the older man.

"You're stopping me on eight, Daryl"

As the older man and the younger man, Daryl, discussed their differences. Daryl then said to him, "You want blood, I get it. Take it from me, man. Come on"

When the words escaped the stranger's lips, I was speechless. He was going to taking the beating, but it showed how loyal he was to the man, woman, and young boy. As hell was breaking loose, I couldn't just sit here and watch. I shot a few men to help them out. They didn't see me at all and didn't know what was going on when my arrows killed them. I killed the men beating Daryl first. He might have seen me, since he also had a crossbow, he could tell where the arrows where coming from. Once they were safe, I climbed the tree and watched them.

Their conversation was quiet, but the night was quiet enough for me to hear them. The man who literally ripped out the leader's neck, Joe, called the other man his brother. They weren't blood brothers, but that's what he felt. They were loyal enough to each other that they could rely on one another for anything. When the man in the vest stood up and said he was going to look for the one who saved them, I got down and started walking away. I put my bandana around my face in case if he did find me, he wouldn't know what I looked like.

I hadn't walked for too long before I was stopped by him. He was more than likely a tracker if he found me that quickly. He rested a hand on my shoulder, gently turned me around and looked into my eyes.

"I believe these are yours" He stated quietly to me as he handed me my arrows

"They are, I appreciate you returning them, but you didn't have to" I say to him as I put them into my quiver.

"That's the least me and my group could do for you. I saw what you did back there. For a woman, you got some balls" His black eye was slowly becoming visible.

"It was nothing, honestly..."

"Nah, it was somethin'. Why don't ya come back with me so Rick can thank ya"

"How about I clean up your wounds and then I'll be on my way" I really don't want to go to a group...

"Nah, you ain't gotta waste your supplies on me. C'mon we ain't like anyone else you've seen. I promise" He held out his hand, motioning me to follow him

"Keeping a promise is hard these days you know"

"I know it is, but I can keep this one" He looked at me with desperation for me to go back with him

"I'll stay for a day"

His face expression changes a little, happier than before.

"We'll see about that. Now c'mon" He holds his hand out once more

I walk next to him but don't take his hand.

"Name's Daryl" He says looking over to me

"Dodger. When we get to your people I'm cleaning your face, and the other man's"

He smiles a bit and nods, "Alright"

The rest of the walk was silent, which I completely understand. When we arrive to the rest, the man stands up.

"Rick, it's alright. This is Dodger, she saved us" Daryl looks over to me and cracks a small smile

"You saved us..." Rick's face is covered in blood

"I couldn't just watch you people get slaughtered for nothing. Plus they were following me anyway, I was sick of 'em"

"Thank you" Rick looks into my eyes and nods

"Don't mention it" I shrug

"There's Michonne and Carl" Daryl tells me pointing them out

I nod, look up to him and ask, "Now can I?"

He knows exactly what I am referring to.

"Rick, she offered to clean our faces so we don't look like total shit"

"Alright" They sit next to each other by the truck

I pull Rick's hair out of his face, take my rag and clean the blood off. He has no other wounds besides a scratch on his forehead which isn't too bad. He gets up and goes into the truck with Michonne and Carl, leaving Daryl and I.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

As I sit in front of him and clean the rag, he unties my bandana.

"Why did you do that?" I look up at him and take it from him

"Ya don't need it, we ain't sick" He tells me as he takes in my facial features.

"Don't matter... Now stop talkin' so I can clean you up" I tell him and put my bandana away

As I clean up his face, his eyes don't stop staring into mine. I pushed his bangs behind his ears and treat his eye. When I cleaned his facial wounds he moved his head back and smacked it against the quarter panel.

"Son of a bitch..." He says, putting a hand on the back of his head

"Y'alright? I told you it was going to sting..."

"I'll be alright head just hurts now"

"I got ya, trust me. Now let me finish"

He nods and I go back to cleaning the scratches. I hand him some pain killers and the last bit of my water.

"Turn around, let me see it" I tell him

He turns and I gently feel the back of his head. When I graze my hand over the slight bump, he winces a little.

"My bad... Try not to touch it and you should be alright"

"Thanks, again" He says as he stands up, then hold out his hand to help me up. This time I accept only because I just can't leave him hanging all the time. When I took his hand, he was trying to hide it but, a smile obviously grew upon his face.

"Thanks" I say to him as throw my hair up into a ponytail

"No problem"

"So where are y'all gonna stay tonight?" They are in the middle of nowhere...

"Think Rick said here"

"I'll take first watch then"

"Look at ya, you haven't slept have you?" He asks as he stepped closer to me, getting a better look at my face. It's true, I haven't really slept but I'm not sleeping on these people.

"I'm fine" I tell him as I climb onto the roof of the truck

"Ya ain't takin first watch, you need sleep" He tells me as he climbs up too and sits next to me

"What are you, my mother?" I don't know why he's looking after me like this, but it's honestly kind of annoying

"No, I ain't but I can tell you haven't slept"

"Ya know what, you're right. I haven't slept. If you wish, take first watch and wake me up in a few hours" I wasn't going to actually fall asleep...

"Good"

I lay on my side towards the back of the roof and face the highway. My crossbow lie behind me, my knife in hand. I use my bag as a pillow, my jacket enough to keep me warm. You could never just fall asleep anymore.

"Ya want a blanket?" He asks

"Nah I'm fine. Just wake me in a few"

He doesn't respond, he probably just nodded. Laying there for hours was a piece of cake but I honestly could have slept. Maybe if it was just me, I might have.

I 'wake up' when a few hours passed, only knowing because the moon's light had changed. I sit up and rub my eyes,

"Why didn't you wake me sooner?" I ask pretending I had slept too long

"I was just about to wake ya"

I sit up and move by where he is

"Go, get some sleep" I tell him

"Ya gonna be alright?" He asks look over at me

"I've been alone this whole time, I think I can handle it" I don't look at him, I look ahead keeping watch

"If I ain't up by daybreak, wake me"

I nod and he goes back to where I was. Soon, he fell asleep like it was the comfiest place around, his soft snores made the night not so quiet. Honestly, why did he want me to come back with him so badly? Why wouldn't he let me take first watch? Why won't he leave me be...


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

From where I was sitting, the pink colors of daybreak began to form in front of me. I stretched before I moved and ended up laying down to watch the beginning of the sky change. I didn't close my eyes, but yet I didn't get up because it was too early. When the sun was half over the horizon, I sat up and turned around to wake him. When I turned, he was facing me and quickly shut his eyes. When I saw this, I sighed quietly, grabbed my crossbow and went off into the woods in search of food.

I went out alone to soon be accompanied by Daryl.

"Why didn't ya wait for me?" He asks, as if I didn't catch him staring at me before

"Figured I'd let you wake up before you went out" I say as I load my bow

"You didn't sleep did you"

I stop in my tracks, "Why are you so God damned worried about me!?"

He doesn't know what to say now that I had snapped on him. I didn't mean to sound so harsh, but him babying me like that was getting on my last nerve.

"I was just lookin' out for you but if you don't want me 'round, I won't be" He says, his voice cold and harsh

"You don't know what it's like to go from bein' alone then finding others do you?" I ask him with an attitude

"I've been with these people since the beginnin'. They just started to accept me, I know how ya feel"

"No, ya don't Daryl"

"I don't know shit do I? Ya just like the rest of 'em and I thought you wasn't like them" His voice inferior, he was frustrated by me already, he began walking towards the truck

"Maybe it ain't me, maybe you need to learn how to accept someone like yourself" I say to him confidently with an attitude, then walk away in the other direction

When I said this, he stopped. I couldn't tell you if he turned around or not because I was already on my way.

I had stopped at a creek not to far from where Daryl and I fought. Soon Rick was at my side,

"Listen, Dodger, I understand Daryl is hard to talk to sometimes, but he will get used to you trust me" He says to me calmly

"When I look at him, speak to him, and see the way he does things, I just see myself and I can't stand that I'm like that..."

"You two have a lot in common, and people like that see differences a lot more. But the good thing is, you understand each other. No, you aren't like that, he just has his moments" Rick is trying to persuade me into coming back, and he might just win

"But he treats me like a damn child Rick!"

"That's his soft side, he isn't like that to anyone else"

"What are you trying to get at anyway" I say to him crossing my arms, changing the subject quickly

"I want you to come back with us and start over. Dodger, you don't know how much we need someone like you..." He says to me, pure confidence and persuasion in his voice

"Someone like me? You're kidding"

"No, I'm not. These people look to me as their leader and I can't help them anymore. Sure you and Daryl are alike, but you Dodger, you can stand your ground better. You can lead us" Rick looks at me, eyes full of desperation

"Rick, I don't think I can do that"

"Trust me here Dodger, once you get to know everyone, it'll be a piece of cake"

"Then why can't you do it" I ask trying not to be so rude

"I have my own real family. The people in my group are my family, but my actual family, my son and daughter. I need a second hand now"

I ponder an answer before I speak, "I'll come back with you, but I'm not taking the job yet"

When I tell him this, he looks up at me, his blue eyes full of happiness.

"Thank you, now let's head back" He smiles

"Alright, I'm followin' you" I say to him

On our walk back to the truck, Rick gave me some background information about the group. He was telling me some mishaps that had happened to him, mostly the funny ones. When we arrived at the truck, I was laughing, Daryl looked up at him then quickly looked back down. Carl looked up at me and smiled, guess he hasn't seen happiness in awhile... Michonne just looks at me like I'm some kind of competition.

"Alright let's move" Rick says as he picks up his bag

"Why's she here?" Daryl asks, not even glancing at me

"I have my reasons" Rick states

Michonne grabs her bag and starts walking followed by Daryl, then Rick.

"Come on" Carl says as he starts walking

"I'm comin'"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 **On our walk I learned they were headed to Terminus. But before I got that information, I learned on how far they have come.**

 **"We've seen the signs, we are headed to Terminus" Rick said, trusting in this place**

 **I stop dead in my tracks, eventually so does everyone else. Daryl looks at me out of the corner of his eye, but glances mostly at Rick.**

 **"Dodger? You okay?" Carl asks**

 **"Y'all don't understand..." I shake my head and continue walking**

 ***flashback***

 **It has now been about a month since this all began and sometimes I still cannot wrap my mind around the things that are going on around me. The people I have recently encountered were insane... They set up a place called Terminus, it was supposed to be a sanctuary and all, but it wasn't anywhere near that. Even though it was at its early stages, I knew this place was not going to get any better. I never really caught the name of the leader, but in the train car they put me, held a small family. Gareth, Mary, and another girl I believe. The men who appeared took each woman at least once an hour at night to rape them. Every time they were dragged away, their screams echoed and rang throughout the air. I spaced myself as far from them as I could. I was taken twice but thankfully in a weird way, raped only once. The leader's daughter, I believe she was, set me free the first time. She knew what was going on and it bothered her so much.**

 **I was in the car for a few days, starving. They threw in some 'meat' and a can of stuff every other day but it was never enough for everyone to share. Gareth and his family ate it all before I could even get there. Every so often the daughter would sneak some regular food through a hole for me. She saw me differently than anyone else did and I didn't know what it was.**

 **Then the night came, I was wide awake when the train car door opened. We were set free. The men were tied to posts, stripped to only undergarments. The sight completely boggled my tired mind. Gareth refused to leave, insisting he would get his revenge. Mary and the rest stayed with him since they had nowhere else to go. I didn't stay long after Gareth gave his speech about changing Terminus into a real sanctuary, but by the look on his face, it wasn't going to change very much...**

 **The girl and I left together but ended up going separate ways. Through the little time we talked and walked after I retrieved my weapons, I learned her name was Celia. She wasn't like the men who ran Terminus, she was 'normal'. She told me she knew where people were and she was going to head for them. And for me, I'd be on my own again. Celia told me where she would be if I ever wanted to be with her and a good group. I thanked her for the offer but told her I was better off alone. She understood completely and wished me much luck before we separated. She needed the luck more than I did, but I couldn't tell her that. Even though she was equipped with a hunting knife, machete, and a pistol, she never really had experience on her own. I silently wished her all the luck in the world as her figure headed off into the sunrise.**

 ***end flashback***

 **** **Daryl harshly grabs my wrist with a firm grasp which stops me in my tracks, "No, you're tellin' us what the hell ya meant"**

 **His grip not letting up, I sigh, "If you're ready for a short story, then yeah I'll tell ya what's wrong"**

 **At that, he lets me go and crosses his arms, "C'mon, we're listenin'"**

 **I turn to face them, all eyes on me. I take a deep breath and begin the horrors behind the signs.**

 **"Don't interrupt me while I speak, ask questions later... It was about the first month when this all began, I was walkin' along, mindin' my own business when I came 'cross the signs. I figured, 'eh why not' and went there. Only when I arrived, I was stripped of all my weapons and put into a train car. In the car was myself, a man and two or three women. It was about midday when I arrived. By night, 'bout every hour, a woman was taken away. As she was dragged, the screams and cries echoed. What did they do with the women? The raped them, any struggling you gave, you were beat on top of it. I was in the car with the small family for almost a week, we got food but I never got around to it. The man and women got to it first. The leader's daughter, I never caught his name only her name, she saved me and the rest of us. She used to slip in extra food for me every once in awhile. One night, she set us free. The man, Gareth, had his revenge all planned out, and at his speech, he claimed he would make it a better place but he obviously wasn't going to. After his revenge speech, Celia, the leaders daughter took me to get my weapons and we parted ways... That, is Terminus..."**

 **The looks on their faces weren't very surprising. Rick looked horrified, Michonne was putting herself in my shoes, Carl couldn't believe what I just told, and Daryl, well he was just staring at me blankly.**

 **"So you're sayin' not to go" Daryl says with a harsh attitude**

 **"No, I'm sayin' go there and die" I spit at him**

 **"Hard to believe, comin' from someone like you" He rolls his eyes**

 **"Oh so you're gonna tell me what happened? You didn't starve in a train car, you didn't have to deal with screaming and crying of the women, and you didn't have to get ra-" I stop mid sentence and turned my head away from them, looking at the ground**

 **He looks up at me, knowing that being a smartass pushed me too far. Daryl knew he fucked up. Rick looked at me with sorrowful eyes,**

 **"Dodger, I'm sorry..." Rick apologizes for Daryl**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Completely ignoring what he just said, I kneel down to the dirt and draw a map.

"Usin' that rifle Carl has, I can blow up the propane supply out front which should attract them and the Terminites. From there, we can get in and get your people out if they are still there. We can collect some guns and ammo, maybe some food, water. After that's settled, we move on" When I spoke, I tried my best to hide the hurt in my voice, holding back the tears, remembering that night.

"This is why I asked you what I did" Rick says to me smiling

"That should work, ya know the place right?" Daryl says, changing his tone completely, sorrowful, guilt.

"But how are we going to get in" Michonne asks

"When we get closer I'll explain the details"

With a nod, we start our walk to Terminus again. Michonne in the front with Carl, then Daryl, then Rick and I.

"I told you, Dodger" Rick says glancing at me

"Why because I've been to the hell hole?"

"No, because when you just explained what we were going to do, it seemed like you had already had this planned out. You were so confident in your words. That, is what my people need" Rick tells me

"Rick, I still don't think I can do it..." Me? Lead a whole group, tell them to depend on me?

"Yes you can, you just don't know it yet" Rick's words were so persuasive but I just couldn't bring myself to become people's leader...

"I don't know man..." I say with a soft sigh

"You've won more than just my trust" Rick was talking about Daryl

I look in front of me and see the map, our next stop is Terminus.

"This is our last decent checkpoint before we get there" I say as I stop walking

"You need this now, right?" Carl asks taking the rifle off his shoulder

"We are going to work on all the details now bud" Carl smiles at the nickname I gave to him

"I don't know what each of you are good at. So you need to help here"

Rick nods, "What is your plan"

"Well since I know my way around, I can't shoot the propane tank. Someone has to be behind the fence that's around the perimeter, and be hidden to shoot it. So, who has a good shot? You can't miss the propane tank, but you have to hit a nozzle" I look at all of them hoping for an answer

"I'm a good shot" Carl says

"You are not going out there, I'd rather have you with me" Rick says to him

"It's fine, I'll be his backup" Michonne states

"Is that alright Dodger?" Rick asks

"If you don't want him alone, she can stay. They just both have to work together and be covered in guts so they won't be spotted" I look at them

"We can do that" Carl says

"Alright then Daryl, Rick, and I will go in, also covered in guts, disguised, so they won't kill us on the spot. When Carl blows the tank up, it should attract the things there. I saw a hoard go towards there a few miles back, we should be there just after them"

"I have some blankets we could use, to cover ourselves in" Daryl says

"No need, there's a shack down here aways that has some things. We should find stuff there"

"And then what happens when we get in there? What about weapons?" Rick asks

"Under our cloaks, we will have one weapon. I see you each have some sort of gun to carry in, which should be fine. When we get in there, just follow me" I clarify

"Here, take my pistol" Carl says, pulling a pistol out of its holster

"No, give it to Michonne. I know you have your katana, but just as a backup alright?" They both nod

"But what about you for a weapon?" Carl asks

"I got my crossbow and my knife"

He looks up at me in some disapproval but nods.

"I'll give you your post. When the hoard is near the fence, or if they are on the fence, shoot it okay?"

"Got it" Carl smiles


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

On our walk to the shack, Rick, Carl, and Michonne were close behind me with Daryl near me. Talk between Daryl and I was none, but Rick kept telling Carl to be safe and all that. With Michonne, Carl should be fine.

Every so often out of the corner of my eye,  
I'd catch Daryl glancing at me. Maybe he was trying to start conversation but couldn't figure out how. I didn't mind the silence between us, I needed it.

"What I said earlier that pushed ya too far..." Daryl says to me, his voice low

I don't say anything, I don't know how to respond to that...

"Dodger please, just say something..." He's hurting, knowing he pushed me too far

"We're here, at the shack" I say going into the woods

I lead them inside and start grabbing things off the shelves.

"How'd you know this was here?" Daryl asks, he's now suspicious of me. Great.

"When I left, I stopped by here. It was pretty much empty. Figured it belonged to the Terminites, so I left it alone, didn't need any of it anyway" I say as I grab the brown ponchos.

I hand everyone one, but there was only four. I was left without one.

"Take mine. If Michonne is my back up and she's covered, she could kinda hide me too" Carl says handing me the poncho

"That's risky but I guess it's better than having neither of you covered. I appreciate it Carl" I nod and take it

"You need it" Carl smiles

"I'm going to bring a thing over here and kill it outside and bring it in, be ready for me" I put the poncho on the table and head out.

I didn't have to walk too far before I found a dead thing. I lead it to the front door of the shack and stabbed it in its head. I threw it over my shoulder and laid it on the floor inside.

"That didn't take long" Rick said

"Ya ain't gotta go far to find one" I say

I take out my hunting knife and cuts its stomach open. Comes to find out, this dead thing used to be a woman who was pregnant. The fetus was crying but moaning at the same time. It didn't eat through the mother's stomach, it fed off what she ate but never grew. On my knees, I sit back and just stare at it. Michonne walks out followed by Rick and Carl.

"...Did you lose one..." Daryl asks reluctantly

"Yeah, before the world went to shit..." Holding back the tears was just as difficult as remembering the day I found out.

-flashback-

I woke up to my normal empty bed, but something didn't feel right. My boyfriend and I got into a huge argument last night about how I was pregnant. I was just under four months pregnant, and now he wants to make a huge deal out of it.

I just felt so alone this morning. It was summertime and my apartment was never cool, but I was freezing. It was 80 degrees Fahrenheit in my apartment, I had to have been running a fever. As I was checking my temperature, I had sudden abdominal pain. This wasn't right.

I called my doctor and got an appointment. After arriving and going in, she told me I had miscarried. Right then and there I broke into a million pieces. She told me that my body might not be able to handle a child and I was too stressed. After that I just went home and cried for hours. He made me lose the baby...

-end of flashback-

I was crying and I couldn't stop. He removed the fetus from the womb, took a knife to its head and left with it. Shortly returning, he stood me up and hugged me tightly. Hugging him back and crying into him silently was the only thing I could do right now. I couldn't do anything else, I just wanted to kill everyone in my path just like when I found out that I miscarried.

I don't know how long I was in his arms but I didn't really care. Rick wasn't back in with Michonne and Carl, so I had time to spare. After I calmed down some, I let go of him and wiped my face.

"Sorry..." I say to him

"Why are you sorry"

"Causing such a scene like that" I could have held the tears in... maybe...

"You didn't cause nothin' I'd say I know how you feel, but I don't. I just want you to know I'm here if you need anybody"

"You sure contradict yourself Daryl"

"...I just..." He looks down

"No no, I get it I really do, don't be so hard on yourself" I step closer to him and make him look at me

"Just tell me why Rick keeps telling you 'I told you' n shit like that..."


	8. Chapter 8

"Well back at the truck, after we fought, he asked me if I'd be the leader of the group. I told him 'I don't know' because I really don't know if I could lead you people. I don't think I have it in me" As I talk his face brightens up the tiniest bit

"Please do it"

"Do what?" Leave?

"Take the job"

I stare at him blankly. Did he say what I thought he just said?

"But why? Why do you trust me?" I ask trying to figure his reasoning

"I can't tell right now exactly, but you can do it. Maybe even a little better than Rick... You're not like anyone else, you were born to do this"

"I never could-" As I am trying to tell him I can't, he takes my chin and makes me look at him

"Yes, you can. You can't see it because you don't believe in yourself. Once we finish Terminus and meet up with everyone else, you'll understand" He looks into my eyes, this is the most I have ever heard from him

As I was about to answer, Rick walks back in with Carl and Michonne. I wipe my face one last time, trying to get rid of the fact I was crying

"All set?" I ask

"Sure are" He says putting on a poncho

As each of them put on a poncho, I covered them with blood. With each one covered, I was the last one to be covered. For the most part I covered the front of me. Daryl came over to me, hands covered in blood.

"Turn around" He says

"Thanks" I say turning around

He put guts on my back but never touched my ass. He turns me around to face him, my back towards everyone else.

"You missed a spot" He says, kissing my forehead and covering my face in blood.

I try my hardest not to blush, but the blood now covers it. He just makes me... happy...?

"You did too" I say smiling a bit, taking a handful of blood and putting it all over his face

"I didn't put that much on ya!"

I smile happily and grab my bow. Rick is glancing at Michonne grinning, her smiling back at him.

"Y'all ready" I ask

"Let's get goin'" Daryl says leading the way

"You gotta follow me stupid" I tease,

rolling my eyes.

He shakes his head as he turns to me, grinning.

"You're a piece a work" He says rolling his eyes

"Thanks" I smile and lead the way

We walked for roughly ten minutes before we reached the fences for Terminus. I took Carl and Michonne to their post and ran through what they were to do one last time. We said our goodbyes and split.

We were staggering along with a hoard of those things as the propane tank exploded. I look to Rick and Daryl, nodding. They slowly and quietly loaded their weapons under their ponchos, my bow ready to go. We stayed back as we let the things push the fence down. Once the fence fell, we began our journey into Terminus.

As the memories were coming back into my head, I tried to shake them off but it wasn't working. I threw my crossbow over my shoulder and pulled out my knife.

"Dodger! Don't!" Daryl scream whispered at me

"L-leave me be...!"

He grabs my wrist and makes me face him, "No, after Rick takes the group outta here, I'll help you with whatever needs to be done alright?"

I nod slowly and lead them to the train car. Pulling open the large, heavy door revealed six people. Three men and three women.

"Come on!" Rick shouted to them.

"Rick... take them, Carl, and Michonne to the shack. Daryl and I will meet you there" I command Rick

"Are you sure!?"

"Yes now go!"

As I watch him take the small group of people away, I lead Daryl to the room which they kept all the supplies they stripped of the people who came. We grabbed some useful items and moved on. Next we entered what seemed to be a human slaughter room. Thankfully no one was in there. The last place I remember was the candle room. This was where they took us, except it had beds then. We were about to leave when a woman yelled,

"You! Stop right there! Turn around and drop your weapons!" It was Mary, pointing a pistol at me

"Oh Mary, don't you remember me?" I say sarcastically

"...D-Dodger...!?"

"Never thought you'd make it this long honestly" I threw my knife at her hand, dropping her gun.

"You will pay for this!" She yelled coming at me


	9. Chapter 9

I threw my crossbow to the ground, and body slammed her to the floor. She yelled out in pain, but it didn't matter to me. Once I had her pinned to the ground, I began throwing punches at her.

"Where are they!?" I scream at her

Her face all bloody, along with my knuckles, Daryl pulls me off of her.

"Easy now. She ain't goin' anywhere" He says to me calmly

"Where the hell are the rest of 'em Mary!?"

"Not here... You don't need to know" She sits up and glares at me

"You bitch" I break free from Daryl's grip and go after her. I pin her against the wall and roughly kick her in the shin, more than likely fracturing it. She screams in pain and doesn't respond

"God dammit Dodger" Daryl pulls me away from her and holds his grip tighter than before

"We'll find them don't worry. We're hidden, remember?" He picks up my crossbow and opens the door.

As he opened it, dead things poured into the room, completely bypassing us and going straight to Mary. Thankfully I grabbed my knife when I tackled her. I wanted to watch her get devoured but Daryl pulled me along.

"What was that about?!" He asks

"Long story..."

"Just don't run off like that again okay?" He looks into my eyes, I never knew his eyes with that blue...

"O-okay..." Why does he care so much?

"C'mon we gotta get outta here, before it's too late"

"You go on, I have something to do"

"Ya ain't going alone" His voice getting harsh

"I have to do something, not we have to do something..."

"Well what is it that you have to do" He calms his voice some

"I have to speak to someone"

"And who would that someone be"

"Not you" I need to find Gareth...

"Well I'd hope not..."

"Just go on, I'll meet you at the shack"

"No, I'm coming with you" He says, obviously not changing my mind

"If you're coming, you ain't stopping me"

"Well what if I wa-" I immediately cut him off

"I swear to God Daryl if you get in my way..."

"I won't then..."

"It's for the right reasons"

I walk back into the burning hell hole to look for Gareth. I take off my poncho so we don't look like we did it, Daryl doing the same. With Daryl following, I felt he might get in my way. I wasn't going to kill him too but I don't want him to get hurt if Gareth decides to spray bullets my way. If he did get hurt, it would be my fault.

We get to the rooftops to find Gareth and Alex, his brother. I couldn't remember if his brother was in the car too but Gareth always talked about him. Alex was the first to see us, he quickly pointing his assault rifle at me.

"You did this!?" Alex cries

Before anyone else could speak, Gareth turns around and looks at me for a second.

"Well look who came back" He says smoothly with a grin

"I didn't come for you"

"Then why are you here?" He asks confused

"To end this, what I should have done when you took control" I stare at him, my words cold

"Now, why would you do such a thing?"

"I saw what you did here. This isn't no 'sanctuary' like you said, it's just as bad as it was before"

"Not technically Dodger" He walks over to me

As he does this, Daryl goes to step in front of me but I stop him before he could go anywhere. I don't need him getting in the middle of this.

"Gareth, she's got a boyfriend" Alex snickers

"Shut the fuck up, boy" I spit at Alex

"Wow, you have a mouth now don't you?" He grins and takes hold of my chin

I shove him away, "Don't you fuckin' touch me"

"Feisty too huh? Just how I like 'em..." His grin bigger than before, his mind full of the things the men did to the women while we were here.

"Don't talk to me like that Gareth" I punch him square in the face

Alex goes to shoot me but Daryl knocks his rifle up before he could. I pin Gareth to the ground, Daryl taking care of Alex.

"Just hold him there Daryl, I'll handle him next"

Daryl nods and continues to hold Alex down.

"Who do you think you are, coming in here, blowing this place up and leaving?" Gareth questions

"Because all people are looking for now is a safe haven and you lead them into a trap" I was irritated, you could hear it.

"I'm just getting my revenge for what those men did to you and my family..." As the 'seductive' words spill from his lips, his eyes wander down my body

I violently smack him across the face, "Who the fuck do you think you are!?"


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"All I wanted in my life was you, Dodger. I don't believe you don't feel the same about me..."

"I'd never fall for a fucking monster like you," I spit at him

He chuckles and breaks free from my grip, pinning me to the ground, on top of me. I see anger fill Daryl's face. Wait, what? This pisses him off?

"Oh come on, one time before we both die here?" He pleads

"I'd kill myself first" I say as I bring my feet from under him to his stomach and kick him off.

When I kick him off, he spits up blood all over me. Without wiping my face, I go over and beat the shit out of him. He tries to dodge them, and in the process grabs my ass. Oh hell no.

"You fucking perverted bastard!" I scream at him

I then grab him by the neck and strangle him to death. I slowly get up and go over to Alex, "You next..?" I say it slow and cold

"N-no! P-please!" Alex cries

"Oh why not?" I say getting to his level

"I-I'll just kill myself, please! I never wanted to be part of this!" Tears stream down his pitiful face.

"If I tell him to let you go, I'm putting you in a room with a pistol, got it?"

"Y-yes m-ma'am..."

I nod to Daryl who stands up and let's him up. I grab Alex by the collar and take him to a closet type area and Daryl hands him his pistol.

"D-Don't worry sir, there's more ammo in the supply r-room" Alex says, shaking, slowly taking Daryl's pistol

"I already got it. Now go" Daryl demands

Alex nods and enters the room. I close the door behind him and stand in front of the door. Daryl comes over to me quite close, looks down on me and quietly says with a grin plastered on his face, "You like this to all douchebags?"

He was a little too close for comfort but I guess he didn't want Alex to hear his 'flirty' ways.

"No why?" I ask, pretending I didn't know he can be a major douche.

He plants his hand on the door and leans in a little closer, "So you and Gareth were a thing, huh?"

I can feel his breath on my skin now for sure, I slide down the door and stand behind him.

"No he was just a perverted bitch"

He puts his back to the door and tilts his head at me, "All men are bitches too?"

"What are you getting at"

"I ain't gettin' at anything. Just makin' sure you know what you said and what happened"

"Alex! What the hell-" The gunshot rang throughout the room, he was gone.

I stood there for a second of silence for him and shooed Daryl out of the way.

"Nah I got 'em, just make sure we can get outta here"

Without a word, I nod and make sure there are no things in our way to get out of here. As he disposes of Alex's body, I sit on the edge of the rooftop.

"Don't jump..." Daryl says desperately, sitting next to me

"I wasn't goin' to"

"Good" Out of the corner of my eye, I see a small smile form on his face

"Why is that 'good'?"

"Someone like you don't need to go yet..."

"What are you talking about" Someone like me? Come on now

"...Let's just get outta here before we burn with this place" He says standing up

"If we just jump we-"

He cuts me off, "We ain't dyin', not today"

"That's n-" I was going to say, if we jumped from roof section to roof section, we could go down quicker.

Cutting me off again he says, "Dodger, we are leaving, now"

Before I could respond, he stands me up and throws our bows over his shoulders. He takes hold of my hand and leads me to a part of the fence covered by a tarp. Rick more than likely did this so everyone could get out easily.

He puts me over the fence first then climbs over. Taking my hand again, we start our walk to the shack. I keep glancing at him out of the corner of my eye, trying to read his face. Him holding my hand, I still wasn't comfortable with it and I can't read his face. It wasn't too long before we heard the crunching of dead leaves. He stops, making me stop too. Taking out his crossbow, still holding mine, he leaves me in the middle of the woods looking for the source of the noise.

Standing there alone, pretty much defenseless, I sat at the base of a tree fiddling with my hunting knife. It wasn't too long before I heard more than a single person's footsteps, there was more than one individual. Maybe Daryl left me for dead, maybe this is how I was going to die.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Not long, the footsteps were in front of me. The boots didn't belong to Daryl, they were women's boots...

"Have you seen a man in a vest around here?" The woman politely asks

"Yeah. Ya know 'em?"

"Yes, I came looking for him"

Standing up and sighing, I tell her, "He went  
out in the direction of footsteps, which I'm guessing we're yours"

"Probably, I didn't see any walkers near by"

"Carol?!" Daryl calls out from a short distance

"Get your stupid ass over here" I call to him

'Carol' glares at me as I turn to the direction where his voice came from. He comes from the other side of a tree, sees 'Carol' and runs over, hugging her tightly.

"Y-You're okay..." She says happily, stroking the back of his head

"I wouldn't do that, he smashed his head" I tell her as he winces

She doesn't look over to me, just looks at Daryl to make sure he's okay. I roll my eyes and go over to him asking for my crossbow.

"We're all going back to the shack Dodger" Daryl says

"That's where Tyreese is, with Judith" Carol states

"Everyone else should be there too then..." Daryl looks over at me

"I have no idea who you are talking about, just give me my crossbow so I can leave you two lovers alone" I say rolling my eyes

"Dodger..." He says trying not to tell me that's not true, Carol trying not to blush

"Give me my god damn bow Daryl" Now I am just getting aggravated

"Fine, here" He says handing me my crossbow

I take it from him and toss it over my shoulder

"Meet me with everyone else when y'all are done" I say, starting my walk to the shack

He grabs my wrist and says to me, "We are all goin' together, I ain't lettin' ya go alone"

"Why not? 'Fraid I'm gonna run away?"

Sighing he says, "I want to keep you safe..."

"You got your girlfriend back, you don't need me" I pull my hand away from him and walk away

"Dodger!"

I flip him off and take the long way to the shack.

-few hours later-

*Daryl's POV*

"How could you just lose her?" Rick asks me, trying to wrap his mind around her disappearance

"She got all pissed off and walked away"

"And you didn't go after her?!"

"I did! Why do you think Carol came back before me!? I went after her and her trail went cold!"

Just thinking about how she might be gone forever kills me. Truth is, I never 'liked' Carol like that, she 'likes' me. When Dodger got all pissed off before she stormed off, I should have kissed her... right in front of Carol.

"It's too late to go looking for her now. At day break, we go out in groups of two, two groups at a time" Rick says sighing

"Why do we care about this girl so much?" Abraham asks

My mind says, 'Because we need her, I need her' but I respond, "You don't know her like Rick and I do, she saved us, she saved all of you"

Abraham looks at me dumbfounded.

"We will explain when we get her back" Rick tells them, trying to make it simpler for them

"I'm gonna go take a walk, I ain't goin' far" I say

"I'll come with you" Carol says

I respond as soon as she finishes, a little too harshly, "Na, you stay here"

"But Pookie..."

"Don't call me that" I say to her loathingly, walking out the door

My walk wasn't a walk, I went out to look for Dodger. Rick was right saying we should go out in the morning in pairs, but leaving her out here with no supplies would kill me all night long. It would kill Rick too, but not as much as it would me. I went to the spot where her and Carol had met, took out my flashlight and retraced her steps for the fifth time. Each time I traced them again, they still disappeared at the same spot.

By looking at her steps, I continued to follow the way they were headed. I walked on for some time before I reached a creek, like the one where we fought. Still, I didn't pick up any traces of her. I sat on a rock and watched the water flow by.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

*Dodger's POV*

When I walked away from Daryl and Carol, I figured going from tree to tree would be easier, sort of. No way to track me, nothing can eat me, no one should be able to find me easily. Only problem, food and water.

I went tree to tree from some time, passing the creek, then heading back to it. I made a "base branch" right above a nice set of rocks. From where I sat, I could watch the sun set perfectly.

Once the sun had set, I decided to sharpen my arrows and knife. Which isn't smart to do in the dark, risking all my fingers.

Eventually getting pissed off because I wasn't able to sharpen them correctly, I put them away and starting picking away at the tree bark.

It wasn't too long before I saw a flashlight shining around. Then the person with the flashlight, sat on a rock by the creek. I couldn't make out their face, but they let out a depressed, agitated sigh. It was a male sigh, raspy and low.

"Why did you run Dodger? I have nothing for her..." He is obviously talking to himself

Daryl came out alone to look for me?

"I need you..." He says again, hoping for someone to speak, an answer from an unknown voice

I decide not to speak, just to toss some bark in the creek. Tossing a larger piece down, the flashlight goes on to where the piece fell. Hearing the click of the loading of his crossbow got me worried, but I understand. I tossed another one, but behind him. Then another, into the creek when he wasn't looking.

"Come out, whoever you are, now" He commands to his 'unwanted visitor'

In a stereotypical southern voice I respond, "Why don't you find me first"

"I won't shoot, just show yourself" He says looking around

I toss a larger chunk in front of him, making him distracted. While he goes over to it, I quietly get down from the tree and sneak up behind him. I make fake ass dead people noises, only to get the butt of a crossbow to the face, sending me to the ground.

"Dodger!" He says panicking, getting next to me

"I-I'm fine... I deserved that..." I say coming to my senses and sitting up slowly

He shines the flashlight at my face, "Oh shit... 'm so sorry Dodger..."

"Daryl stop, it's fine. I shouldn'ta done that"

"Don't do that ever again okay?" He says taking my chin and wiping my face

"I won't, trust me" I smile through the pain

"Cheek's cut, nose is bleeding, busted lip… I feel like such an asshole right now" He says, feeling like this is his fault

"Knock it off, I told you this is my fault"

"But I hit ya..." He says putting a hand on my cheek

"I'm fine" I put my hand on his, trying to reassure him

He smiles, but it quickly fades, "Everyone's gonna think I beat you..."

"I'll just say you thought I was a dead thing and you punched me"

He nods and helps me up, "How do I tell them I found you"

"I'll do the talking, okay?"

He nods and hugs me tightly, "I thought I told you never to run away"

I just hug him back without a word. Truth is Daryl, I hated seeing you with Carol but I didn't have control over you and her.

"My bad..." I reply, my voice almost inaudible

He gently kisses my forehead and takes my hand, leading me back to the shack.

Our walk was quiet, not surprising. By the time we got back, it was about midnight-ish. He slowly opened the door and went in, still holding my hand. Rick was still awake sitting by a fire with Carl and a baby. Everyone else was sleeping from what I saw.

"You found her? What happened Dodger, are you okay?" Rick said worried, coming over to me

"I'm fine, Rick. I snuck up on Daryl and he thought I was a walker... It's not his fault, it's fine and it's not that big of a deal"

"But you're a mess... In the morning Carol will have a look at you alright?" He says, still not noticing that Daryl and I are holding hands

"I probably have a mild concussion, my lip should heal within a few days, and my cheek will be fine too. I can take care of myself, Rick" I tell him, wiping the blood from my nose

"But still"

"Rick, I'm fine" I say, a bit agitated

He sighs, "There is some open space to sleep"

"Thanks"


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Rick goes over by Carl and liess down. Daryl puts out the fire some and takes me farthest away from everyone. He takes out some thin blankets from a bag and lays one down.

"Get comfy" Daryl tells me

"Don't use your stuff of me, I'll be alright"

"There's nowhere else to sleep, we gotta share" He looks away from me slightly

"But..."

"Ya ain't stayin' by Eugene and Abraham, just lay down" He commands in a nice way, looking into my eyes

"Fine" I sigh and hang my crossbow off of a hook and sit on the blanket

Daryl smiles and throws the blanket on my head. I put the blanket on my lap as he lays his crossbow next to the 'bed.' He sits next to me and kicks off his boots. I do the same, I don't need them right now, do I? He takes the blanket and covers both of us.

"What ya sleep sittin' up?" Daryl asks smiling

"No, do you?" I smile back at him a bit

"Never met someone who did"

He wraps his arm around my waist and lies us down. It was a bit uncomfortable but I went with it, trying not to squirm.

"Night Dodger" He whispers into my ear, sending chills down my spine

"Good night Daryl" I smile and turn on my side, my back to him

Daryl pulls me close leaving his arm around me and gently kisses my neck, making me shiver. He quietly chuckles and I smack his hand.

"Get some sleep this time"

"If ya don't keep me up" I smile

"I won't" He kisses my injured cheek gently

I woke up to the sound of his soft snores and the sun on my face. I turn to face him, trying not to wake him. As I turn over, Carol is sitting across the way, staring at me. Completely ignoring her, I gently push Daryl's bangs out of his face. Before I knew it, Carol was pulling me up out of bed and dragged me outside.

"What the fuck are you doin'!?" I scream at Carol

"He's mine" She says to me angrily, shoving me against a tree

"Daryl started it not me" I try to shove her off of me, but she somehow manages to come back at me.

"That's what they all say" Carol screams at me, punching me square in the face. My face again, why?

I opened my eyes, I was sitting at the base of a tree, Rick holding Carol back. Trying to come back to my senses, I try to stand up only to be stopped.

"Don't move" Daryl says

I look to my left to see him at my side.

"No matter how fucked up your face is, it's still beautiful..." He tells me sweetly, cleaning my face

"Daryl... what happened..." I can't remember what happened exactly

"Carol ripped you out of bed with me, took you out here, started yellin' and punched ya in the face a few times before Rick and I came out to see what was goin' on"

"Why'd she do that" I ask, pulling my hair out of my face

"She's just jealous that ya mine and she ain't" As those words roll off his tongue, he takes hold on my chin and kisses me sweetly

This weird feeling fills my body. I block out Carol who is flipping out in the distance. I kissed him back, I couldn't say no.

Daryl slowly breaks away, smiling. I couldn't help but smile too, but I was limited since my face was all beat up. That kiss was something else...

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up" Daryl says helping me up 

I smile and nod, he takes my hand and leads me back inside the shed thing. When we walk in, everyone is staring. He picks me up and sits me on the workbench. Pulling out a clean rag and some alcohol, he gently cleans my face and treats my black eye.

"Don't worry, I won't smack my head like you did" I tease

"That hurt" Daryl shakes his head and tucks my hair behind my ear

"I've done worse, and had many fists and crossbow butts to my face" I tease him again

He rolls his eyes and leans against the bench next to me. A man approaches us, he was about Daryl's height but wider and had a mullet?

"Excuse me miss, who are you?" The mullet man asks

"Eugene, Rick will call a meeting when he comes back in. Then everyone will know who she is" Daryl says

"Okay..." 'Eugene' says, going back to the rest of the people

"Now you stay away from him ya hear me?" Daryl whispers to me

I nod, and Rick comes in with a more calm, human like Carol. He comes over to me, makes sure I'm alright and takes me to the center of the shack, Daryl at my side.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

"Everyone, gather 'round. I have someone I want you all to meet" Rick announces as everyone gathers around him and I

Daryl stands with the rest of them, leaving Rick and I in the center.

"Everyone, this is Dodger," Rick clears his throat, "Now you may think I'm throwing this news at you but I don't have any other way at saying it. Carl, Judith, and I aren't leaving, I am just going to leave all the power to her. Before you all jump in and kill her, she still hasn't made up her mind" As Rick speaks, he looks around at all of them, trying to tell them it's going to be okay

"How do you know we can trust her?" A tall, built, redheaded man asks

"She saved Carl, Michonne, Rick, and I. She took us to Terminus, got us in there and saved all of ya" Daryl steps in

They all look around at each other, second guessing Rick

"Did you ask her the three questions?" An Asian man asks

"Well why don't you ask her then, Glenn" Rick responds

"Fine then, I will. How many walkers have you killed?" 'Glenn' asks

"Probably more than you" I tell him, not skipping a beat

"How many people have you killed"

"Besides the half dozen when I saved Rick, Daryl, Carl, and Michonne, none"

"Why'd you do it?"

"Because if I was in their situation, I'd hope someone would do the same for me"

When I gave my final response, he looked at me in utter shock. I looked at the people in front of me, they were all speechless.

"After I saved them, and when Daryl found me, returning my arrows and bringing me back to the truck, he made me a promise. When he said 'I promise,' I said to him, 'Ya know, keepin' a promise is hard these days.' He then told me, 'Yeah, but I can keep this one.' He promised that if I came back, I would understand that the rest of his group was something I had never seen before, in all good sorts of course. So far, he has kept his promise" When I spoke I tried my persuade them, trying to tell them they can trust me. It just wasn't working

"Why don't you give us some background information" Mullet man says stepping forward

"Besides the three questions? Hmm well, I'm eighteen, I taught myself how to hunt, I have been alone this entire time, and my face doesn't look like this all the time" I tell him, smiling. Obviously joking about the last part.

"Very well" He responds, stepping back into place

"Anything else you want to know about me?"

"Rick, why did you bring her back?" A young woman with short brown hair asks curiously

"Because she's a good leader, she may have been alone but she knows what she's doing, Maggie"

"When we were going to Terminus, she was telling us our plan and it seemed like she had this all worked out. Dodger is smart, she's cool" Carl says smiling, stepping forward holding a baby girl

"Thanks Bud" I smile back at him

"Like I said before, she isn't the leader yet. She still has to make up her mind. Even if she says no, you don't treat her no different alright?" Rick tells them

Rick goes from one side to the other of the group of people in front of us. There's Sasha, Tyreese, Bob, Carol, Maggie, Glenn, Tara, Rosita, Abraham, Eugene, Michonne, Carl, and Judith. As Rick walked me along the line of people and we got to Carl and Judith, she babbled along and held out her arms to me, she wanted me to hold her.

"Go on" Rick says to me smiling

"Alright, fine" I smile and gently take her from Carl.

I hold her on my hip and gently bounce her. I've never seen Rick, but mostly Daryl, smile so much.

"Mmmmmaaa-ma!" Judith giggles, my heart stops

The smile on Daryl's face disappears and Rick begins to ask what's wrong. Daryl stops him from talking. I hold Judith close and go over to the workbench. She hugs me and holds onto me, and I just do the same. Daryl pulled Rick aside, probably telling him how I had lost a baby.

Later that day, Daryl and I went out hunting in search of dinner. Maggie had come over to me earlier and started talking to me. She didn't seem that bad. After Maggie, Tara came over. Tara may be lesbian, but she is the funniest person I have ever met. Me and her may or may not have a prank up our sleeves. Trust me, it's not dressing up as the dead things.

With a half dozen squirrels Daryl stops, "Dodger?"

"Yeah?"

"We got some time before we gotta head back"

"We have a while actually, why what's up?" What could he possibly want to do?

"Few hours?"

I nod. Not here Daryl, not now.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15  
**  
He takes the arrow out of his loaded bow and throws it over his shoulder. Mine was already across my body since I had no luck.

"Follow me, I wanna show you somethin'" Daryl says taking my hand

"We can't go too far"

"We ain't, trust me" He looks down to me and smiles

I hold his hand smiling, as he walks deeper into the woods. It wasn't long before we had reached a cliff, with a large stream and some trees.

"A cliff?" I ask confused

"It's more than just any old cliff" He says stripping down to his underwear

"What the hell are you doing" I ask covering my face

He laughs and uncovers my face, "C'mon, your turn"

"I didn't know we had to walk around naked now" I smile

"You'll see why" He says, walking over to the edge

As he stares over the edge, I get undressed to my bra and underwear. By now I had figured out it was a waterfall, except it's going to be a bit cold. I braid my hair and go next to him.

"Who's first? Bet ya it's cold" I ask

"You first" He grins, trying not to look over my body

"Fine" I smile and go over to where the water runs off

"Why over there?"

"It's deeper. See ya down there" I smile and front flip off the edge.

Landing in that cold water was super refreshing. Adrenaline shoots throughout my body. When I reached the surface, I couldn't find Daryl. I looked around, nothing.

"Daryl?" I call out

Before I knew it, he backflipped off the edge landing in front of me. When he came up to the surface, I smacked him in the forehead, "You could have warned me"

"Well I didn't. Now come over to shore some" He smiles and swims over

"But I can't swim" I say, obviously pretending

"Stubborn, aren't ya?"

Daryl puts me on his stomach and he swims backwards, closer to shore. I take his bangs out of his face and he smiles. When we get to standing ground, he stands up making me 'fall off' of him and going under. From under the water I hear him laugh, he stands me up and pulls me close.

"You're a piece of work, ya know that?" He says to me, placing his forehead on mine.

"Just for you"

"I bet" He smiles and kisses me sweetly

"We can't be out here too long..."

"Why's that" He asks, pouting a little

"Because"

"'Cause ain't an answer Dodger"

I get out of the water, "Because I said so"

"Wait where ya goin'" He asks getting upset I'm leaving

"Eh, I'll be back"

I go back up to the top and jump back down practical on top of him.

"You lil bitch!" He laughs

"Ya know ya love me" I kiss his cheek

"I do, I really do Dodger"

He picks me up and kisses me passionately.

"My god do i love you" He says between kisses

"Think twice about that?" I tease

"Hell yeah, long and hard"

"I know" I laugh, referring to other things

"Shut up" He says rolling his eyes and swimming away from me

Daryl and I stayed at the lake just until the sun was about to set. We got out and went back to the top to get dressed. I got dressed first, and as Daryl was changing, I 'accidentally' shoved him off the cliff.

I died of laughter watching him fall, watching his facial expression. I was literally rolling in the grass laughing, then he picked me up and held me over the edge.

Still laughing but it quickly faded, I managed to speak, "No please I won't do it again I promise!" I cling onto him

"Ain't so funny now huh?" He teases

"Come on!"

"You sorry?"

"Yes I'm sorry and I love you" I plead, holding onto him for dear life

"Well, I love you too" He whispers in my ear, holding me close

I don't let my grip lighten until he sits on the ground and holds me.

"I wouldn'ta dropped ya, you know that right?"

"I'd hope you wouldn't..." I let go of him some and look up to him

"Never ever sunshine" He smiles and kisses my nose

I can't do anything but smile and blush some.

"Man you're beautiful"

"Oh come on" I smile and hand him his shirt

"I ain't lyin' sunshine"

"We gotta go back" I get up and ruffle his hair

"But I don't wanna go back yet" He pleads standing up

"We don't need any more suspicion between us do we?"

He thought about it before he responded, knowing I was right.

"Yeah, but aren't they gonna ask why we're all wet?"

"You're just gonna be wet" I smile

He chuckles and shakes his head, "Man you got a dirty ass mind"

"I wasn't thinkin' like that! That's you!" I playfully shove him and laugh

"Yeah you keep sayin' that Dodger" He smirks, wraps his arm around my waist and kisses me sweetly

I kiss him back as sparks fill my body, butterflies in my stomach. I can't help myself but to smile while kissing him, he makes me feel so important and ecstatic. We just... click... He slowly pulls away reluctantly.

"Come on" I say taking his hand

"Fine" He says picking up his crossbow and belt of squirrels

On our walk back, I heard rustling and branches breaking. I quickly took my crossbow off my body and loaded it. Daryl and I are back to back ready for whatever decides to make an appearance. Then all of a sudden, a fawn comes out from behind a tree. Before she could get away, I shoot her in the neck, instantly killing her. I quickly go over to it and take the arrow.

"Dodger?" Daryl asks confused

"Look!" I say excited

He turns and sees the deer. His face lights up, his eye widen.

"Well shit" He comes over and examines it

"She's a beaut, she'll feed us all well tonight" I say looking over at him

"Hell yeah she will. Nice shot by the way, I could never hit right there"

"Thanks" I couldn't help but smile

"Here, carry these and I'll carry it back" He says handing me his crossbow and the squirrels

"No I got her, I've carried larger"

"Dodger..."

"Daryl I got it, trust me" He may be a man but this is my deer

I put my bow over my body then throw the deer over my shoulder.

"Let's go"

"You're a piece of work Dodger" Daryl says rolling his eyes

"I know I am" I respond smiling

He shakes his head and walks besides me for the walk back. When we arrive, no one is on watch. There's no one to be found. Daryl opens the door to find it abandoned.

"...T-they left...?" I say, laying the deer in the corner of the room

"Nah, they couldn'tve..."

"Wait what the hell is this?" I noticed a small slip of paper on the bench

"Dodger, my dad didn't think it was safe here anymore. I tried to get them to stay a little while longer. I heard them say something about Washington but I'm not too sure. I'll try and leave a nice track for you to follow -Carl"

"At least the boys got some sense..." Daryl says looking around for a map

"Rick wouldn't leave Daryl. Rick wanted me here, to lead you guys..." I look at him in desperation

"That's true but Rick is still the leader"

"Dammit Daryl, forget that Rick was the leader. Imagine that nobody was yet, Rick wouldn't just up and leave!"

He looks at me from across the room, knowing Rick wouldn't leave

"Maybe someone saw Carl writing the note and they were watching him. Maybe he couldn't say what really happened... Something happened Daryl"

"We stay here tonight, we leave at dawn alright?"

"That's fine. I can track" I begin gathering some wood for a fire

"We gonna eat all this tonight?" Daryl asks preparing the deer

"We ain't got a fridge to put it in, so yeah we are"

"You sure know how to treat a man Dodger" Daryl teases

"I love my food to woman" I laugh

"Oh shut up" He rolls his eyes

 ** _Happy Holidays! Thank you ALL for the support 3_**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

-Carl's POV-

When Dodger and Daryl went out, shit hit the fan. My dad was tied to a post, Michonne and I were put in separate corners of the shed. Abraham was going on about how Eugene had a cure and they needed to go to Washington. No one in the shed besides Maggie, Tara, Michonne, my dad, and I trust Dodger. They just don't know her like we do...

Carol stepped forward to my dad, "Choice is yours Rick. I take over or we leave without them"

"Carol you don't have to do this" My dad pleads

"Ever since you brought her back, you and Daryl haven't been the same about leading this group!"

"Just because she is 'interfering' with your crush? Carol don't bring that into this..."

"That's not it! You brought her in saying you were done leading us and there was the new leader. How could you do that?"

"It's not like that. I'm still the leader around here. I asked her if she would consider it, she didn't have a set decision. I brought Dodger back with me because I couldn't just leave her out there. She saved me, Carl, Michonne, and Daryl. She didn't know us and I probably would have done the same for her. I didn't bring her back to become leader right away. I brought her back because I believe in her. So should the rest of you..." I haven't seen my dad speak like that since we left the prison...

"So you don't believe in the rest of us? You believe in a stranger? Since when do you accept strangers Rick? What has gotten into you..."

"Carol, it's not that either. When I look at each one of you I see a different strength. When Daryl brought Dodger over, when she gave me the plan about saving everyone from Terminus, I saw a leader. I saw someone better than myself. Everyone is different Carol, maybe my days of being leader is over" My dad spoke slowly and persuasively

"Abraham, bag him. We're moving on from here, without them" Carol spoke sternly

Next thing I saw was my dad looking me in the eye, asking for a way to turn this situation around as Abraham took the butt of his rifle to my father's head.

I pulled a slip of paper from my bag and found a pencil on the bench, rushing to write a note for Dodger and Daryl to return before anyone else saw. I kept it short and simple. Dodger will catch along with my note and come for us, I know she will.

Abraham put my dad's limp body over his shoulder and Carol went around making sure everything was packed. Just before we left, I put the piece of paper on the bench. I hope her and Daryl come back soon...

Michonne and I were placed in the back of the group with Rosita and Eugene. I held a stick in my hand, dragging it behind me, leaving a deep line in the dirt. Dodger should be able to pick this up for sure.

-Dodger's POV-

*after dinner*

"So, head out in the morning?" I ask stretching on the floor by the fire

"Just as the sun starts rising"

I nod slowly and stare into the fire. Daryl tightens the place up before laying next to me and holding me close. He gently places a few kisses on my neck.

"Daryl..." I say taking his hand

"What's wrong?"

"Not now, not here"

He was caught off guard and became disappointed, I had read his mind, "Fine..."

"I'm sorry I just ain't in the mood..."

"It's alright sunshine, I promise"

I kissed him sweetly before burying my face into his chest, snuggling close to him like a teddy bear.

"Night sunshine" He whispers into my ear, holding my close

"Night..." I drifted off to sleep, wrapped in his arms

I woke up to him gently stroking my hair, looking down at me his blue eyes brighter than ever.

"Mornin' sunshine" Daryl smiles and kisses my cheek

"Morning..." I say yawning

"Sleep alright?"

"Yeah" I sit up and stretch

"Just relax for a bit Dodger" He says holding my waist

"But Daryl-"

He cuts me off, "I know ya worried 'bout 'em but please, rest, calm yourself some... for me"

"He asked me to be leader, he ain't here right now so I have to be"

"Dodger, I ain't tellin' you to not to do anything today. Just lay here for a hour, the sun just broke the horizon" He pulls me closer

"One hour, that's it" I give in and lay next to him

"That's all I ask..." Daryl says taking my hand into his, tracing circles on the top of my hand

I get comfortable and let out a soft sigh, relaxing was never my thing but Daryl's right, I need it. It wasn't too long before I found myself drifting off into sleep. Just before I completely fell into the darkness of my dreams, he gently placed a kiss my temple.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

~Dodger's dream~

"Enid!" I laugh as a threw a pillow back at my little sister, who is 5 years younger than me

"What?" She laughs, her hair a mess

"You invite your boyfriend to our slumber party?" I teased her

"Dodger! I don't have a boyfriend!" She crosses her arms in disapproval

I roll my eyes and smile, "You always say that, then I catch you kissin' the kid"

"That was one time..." She looks down at our pillow quilt

"One time ya say?" I ask standing up

She looks up at me and nods. I pick her up and throw her over my shoulder.

"Dodger!" She laughs, smacking me from my shoulder down to my ass

I laugh and spin around in a circle a few times, making us both dizzy. I playfully tossed her on the couch and sat on top of her.

"Get off Double D!" Laughing, she shoves me off. She knows I hate being called that

We playfully wrestled for awhile before we grew tired. We made our bed, shut out the lights and turned on Netflix. Enid took the remote and put on some kind of zombie show I've never seen before. These things don't scare me, nothing in horror/drama shows or movies do. By the time she fell asleep it was 12:30 AM. I shut off Netflix, tucked her in and fell asleep next to her.

I awoke the next morning before Enid did. She was out like a light, peacefully in her dreams. I went upstairs into the kitchen and made our favorite breakfast, chocolate chip waffles. It wasn't too long before she came upstairs probably from the smell of the waffles.

"Well good morning sleepy head" I smile to her, putting a plate full of waffles on the table

"Dodger it's 11 in the morning, why are we up?" Enid asks, rubbing her eyes

"It's almost time for lunch E..."

"But I'm tired..." She yawns, eating a waffle

I sit across from her, "You overslept, that's why you're still tired"

She shrugs and continues to eat her waffles. I take my plate over to the counter and turn on the news. Panic, urgent messages are flashing on the screen, people running around frantically. I quickly shut it off, Enid doesn't need to know what's going on yet, I don't even know.

"What was that all about?" She asks

"Eh who knows, probably somethin' goin' on elsewhere. No need to worry" I flash her a reassuring smile and check my phone to see what it was all about.

Nodding, Enid goes back to eating her waffles. I sit on the counter and go onto the local news website. All I read is about some outbreak and that everyone in the city is being evacuated. Me and Enid are quite a few miles from the city, we live on a ranch with no neighbors. I continued on reading other news websites and all they kept saying was 'major, deadly outbreak.' None of them said what kind though.

"Enid, stay here I'll be right back" I hop off the counter and throw on my boots

"What's wrong?" She asks tilting her head

"Nothin', I just gotta make a phone call. I'll be walkin' up and down the drive if ya need me" I quickly go out the front door and call up the news station

"Can someone please tell me what is goin' on!?" I ask

On the other side, all I could hear was screams and objects being thrown. I hang up and call another station.

"What is goin' on!?"

"Ma'am if you are in the city, you need to leave right away, it's not safe!" The man on the other line demands

"Just tell me what is goin' on!" I yell at him

"Ma'am the dead have reanimated, you need to stay away from the city. Do not let any sick person into your home. It starts with a fever, the fever burns you up and you die then come back"

"How do you know this?"

"I'm a doctor. Destroy the brain. Nothing else will kill them. Remember, if someone gets scratched or bit by the dead, it's either game over or chop the limb off. Cut or slight non-dead scratch, just clean it majorly. Don't forget, the brain shuts it down. Be safe, keep your loved ones close-" The doctor was about to finish his sentence but a scream came through instead.

I tried taking in what he had just told me but I just fell to my knees. Could this really be happening? I have to be dreaming, this can't be real... Looking down at my phone, I went to call someone, anyone, to tell me this wasn't real but the service was shut off. There was no more phone, no more Internet no more anything.

"Dodger...? W-What's going on..?" Enid asks, her voice shaky. She knows something is seriously wrong

I stand up and take her back inside, "Get a backpack, get two or three outfits in it. A book or two and a pad of paper with a pencil"

"But why?" She asks, starting to get scared

"Enid please just do as I ask, I promise I will explain later"

She nods and goes up to her room. I get a carry back and fill it with Pop-Tarts and bottles of water. I fill as many containers as I could, stuffing the bag. Enid came back downstairs as I was zipping the bag.

"Dodger please tell me what is going on" Enid pleads

"Don't move from here, don't answer the door or go near the windows. Let me pack a bag and we will go" I hand her the largest kitchen knife I had

"But..."

"Just until I come back down" I put the knife into her hand and close her hand, making her grasp the knife handle

I go upstairs and change into a pair of jeans and a thin tshirt. Grabbing a hiking bag, I throw some clothes into it along with two family photos. I throw some hair stuff into the side pocket and slip on my boots again. I go down to the kitchen to find Enid eating waffles.

"Grab your bag, bring the knife, follow me" I say going out the back door

She nods and brings the plate of waffles with her. I take one and eat it. We walk to a shed that has always been forbidden to go into. It held weapons, knives, and survival kits.

"Woah..." Is all Enid had to say

"Now listen to me Enid, I'm going to teach you how to use a knife and how ta shoot a gun. Right here, right now" I take a pistol off the wall and grab a dagger

"But why...?" She asks confused, putting the plate on the table in the corner of the room

"The zombie apocalypse has begun" I didn't know how else to tell her and I didn't want to sugar coat it

Her face lost all its color and she stared at me blankly. I put the pistol and knife on the table and hugged her.

"Don't worry, we will survive together" I reassure her

"But Dodger I can't do this..." She tells me trying not to cry

"Enid, yes you can, I believe in you"

She looks up at me and nods the tiniest bit.

"How do I use a knife?" She asks

I small smile forms on my lips and I demonstrate on how to kill with a knife. Through some practice, she gets it pretty well. Next was the gun. I showed her first, then explain everything she needed to know about how to use it, clean it, reload, the basics. Then I saw a dead person stumbling towards us, Enid immediately started freaking out and ran behind me.

"Cover your ears" I told her, pointing the pistol towards its head. It was about 150 feet away, and the bullet went through its forehead

Enid came out from behind me in amazement.

"Who taught you how to do this?" She questioned

"Dad did..." Our dad was killed in a car accident years ago, Enid had very few memories of him

"Now let's get you situated with a weapon" I said quickly changing the subject

I equipped myself with my dad's lucky crossbow and my favorite hunting knife. I put a small revolver in the back of jeans. Enid picked up the pistol I had taught her to shoot with and our dads favorite knife.

"Good choice, dad would have agreed too..." I smile

"Why is that?" She asks curiously

"Well we have all his favorite weapons on us"

"Really?" She says looking at the weapons in our hands

I nod and put on a knife holster thing around her waist. She puts her knife in the slot and looks up at me, "W-what about you Dodger?"

"I have one don't worry" I grabbed a smaller version of a holster, one that fight around your thigh and strapped it onto my right thigh

"Why on your thigh?"

"I never liked the one around my waist, thigh seems easier to get to for me" I demonstrate my reasoning by putting my hand at my side, which happens to be right on the knife

We ventured out, killed some dead things, got some good practice. I explained to her everything the doctor had said to me. It was a lot to take in for a 13 year old. She didn't cry, she didn't stop, being with me made her confidence skyrocket. Seeing my little sister be so strong made me proud, I actually did something right for once.

While walking away from the city, a large group of the dead were closing in on us.

"Enid use your knife! Conserve ammo!" I yelled to her, stabbing multiple things in the head

I watched her stab them in the head, not afraid. She tried running out of the way but tripped and fell down a hill.

"ENID!" I scream and saw a living human run after her

I couldn't run after her, the dead had me completely circled. Before I knew it, someone screamed 'duck.' For some reason I did, and all the dead fell on top of me, limp.

A very small group of people, faces covered, came over to me and helped me up.

"Now go on, try not to get caught like that again" A man had said

I nodded quickly, in thanks. I loaded my crossbow and darted off into the woods, the direction Enid had rolled off into. Searching for hours upon hours with no signs of her, I reluctantly gave up. A piece of me was gone, I couldn't tell if it was because I missed Enid so much or because she was... gone... I sat on a log and cried my eyes out silently into my hands.

~end of dream~

I woke up, hyperventilating and crying. Daryl was stroking my hair and holding me closer than before. I look around in confusion trying to figure out what was going on.

"It was just a dream baby..." He says soothingly


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

I nodded, still trying to shake the dream out of my mind. I stood up and put my boots on. He soon did the same, the coming over to me. I looked at him in small confusion, he placed on hand on the back of my neck and kissed me passionately. He knew I wasn't okay but didn't want to ask.

After a short amount of time, I pulled away slowly, "We gotta get moving..."

He looked at me with worried eyes, "You wanna eat first?"

"I'm not hungry but you can eat, I won't rush you" I say going over to the workbench

"Alright" He says cooking up a squirrel

-some time later-

I was standing by the door, looking out the window. Just standing here killed me. What if something horrible happened and I wasn't here to protect them? Will they blame this on me when I find them? Is it too late...?

"You ready?" Daryl asks licking his fingers

"Yeah..." I nod and open the door

He grabs my hand, "We gonna find 'em don't worry, Dodger"

I sigh and walk out the door, followed by Daryl who was full of disbelief.

We weren't too far from the shed when I picked up a trail. I crouch down and examine it.

"What is it?" Daryl asks

"Not a snake trail" I stand up and start following in the engraving planted in the dirt

"Then what is it?"

"A lead. Carl probably did this. No one else, from what I could tell, doesn't care enough to be followed" I don't lift my head from the ground

He sighs again, "Y'all got off on the wrong foot"

"Yeah yeah yeah"

"Dodger listen to me" He grabs my wrist

"Daryl is it that important to stop me now?" I ask getting annoyed

"No, I guess it ain't" He says with an attitude and lets my hand go

I shake my head as I look back at the ground. The engraving is getting lighter which worries me. We have only been in woods for a short while. I stop and look closer

He doesn't say a word, just looks around. I roll my eyes and following the faint canal. I soon found myself at the front doors of a church. Sighing, I started walking around the building, taking a good look at it.

"'You'll burn for this'...?" I say aloud but quiet

Daryl peers over my shoulder to see what I had just read. He feels the markings and sighs,

"Either a fingernail or a knife" He whispers

"To carve it?" I ask looking around more

He nods and follows me around. I went over to a stained glass window and stood on my tippy toes to see if I could see anything. Since I was too short, even on my tippy toes, I sighed and looked for shorter windows.

"I got ya" Daryl says, sitting me on his shoulder

I put my hands and face against the window to look inside. I can pick out many human, bodily like figures walk around, pacing back and forth. There were living people inside here. I squint my eyes to see if I could get a better look, but instead I found myself falling off of his shoulder and onto the ground. Opening my eyes, I take a look around to find no one. I was alone yet again. The sun was starting to go down and I was alone. Daryl was gone. What the hell did I do to him?

I go to sit up but end up screaming out in pain. Look down at my left side, bleeding. It was too dark to see what impaled me. I put pressure on my side and slowly stood up, dealing with the unbearable pain. Picking up my crossbow, I started getting light headed from the loss of blood. I started taking deep slow breaths, but it was too late. Before I knew it, I had passed out. On the ground I was again.

When I awoke, I was laying on a couch and constant stabbing and pulling on my impaled side. I go to push away whatever was at my side but I was tied down.

"Let me go!" I say, my face was covered

"Dodger, it's alright. Stop moving please" Maggie spoke quietly to me

"M-Maggie...?" I ask turning my head her way

"Yes it's me. Let me finish stitching you up"

"Alright..." I let out a small sigh and try to lay as still as possible

What seemed like forever but probably wasn't, she was cleaning my side up. The cool alcohol on my skin burned.

"There, you're all done"

"Thanks Maggie..."

"No problem, if it wasn't for Carl you'd still be out there"

"Carl saved me?" I ask confused

"He did, managed to carry you in too"

"Oh okay..."

"I'll let you rest. Rick won't let me take the bandana off, I'm sorry..." She says sighing, exiting the room. Her voice wasn't like it was before, something was wrong.

I lay on the couch and sigh. My arms and ankles are tied so I can't move. I try to move around and try to get comfy when a hand is placed on my side. I wince in excruciating pain but the hand doesn't move or jerk back.

"Stop that hurts..." I say through my gritted teeth

The mysterious hand gently lifts up my shirt and grazes over the fresh stitches.

I go to cry out in pain but I manage to bite the bandana some how. Again, the hand doesn't move. I wanted to thrash around in pain but I couldn't. Tears were streaming down my hidden face, my body tense.

"Daryl what are you doing to her!?" Rick asks coming over towards us

"Just wanted to make sure they were alright..." Daryl says

Rick gently removes the bandana, revealing my face with tears pouring out of my eyes. Daryl doesn't look at me, just my wound.

"You're hurtin' her!" Rick says sternly at him, removing his hand from my side

Daryl glances at Rick and goes over to the small window and peers outside. Rick undoes my binds and pulls a chair next to me. I don't move much but I can finally get comfy.

"Rick, what's wrong...?" I ask wiping my face. He is looking at the floor like something is on his mind

"When you guys left to get dinner yesterday, shit hit the fan. Carol decided that she wanted to take over. I didn't want to leave without you guys, but she made Abraham knock me out and they left. We need to do something..." Rick looks up at me, desperation in his eyes again

"Why'd she take over though?" I didn't get it

"She thinks Daryl and I are different now, that we favor you and think you're better than everyone else"

"But that ain't true..."

"I tried tellin' her that but she wouldn't listen"

I sigh, "I'll figure something out Rick don't worry"

"We will figure this out together" Rick says, placing a hand on mine in a friendly way.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Daryl glancing over, expressionless. He doesn't care anymore...?

Rick flashes a friendly smile, puts the chair back and exits the room. I lay back down and pull a blanket over me. I stare at the religious sayings on the wall. Daryl was still by the window and hasn't moved or said a word. Something was wrong with him too...

I don't say a word, do I have to? What's to talk about? I don't want to get on his nerves but I probably did already and I don't know why.

"Why'd you drop me and leave me" I blurt out, still not looking at him. Why did I just do that...

I was lying on my back, staring at the ceiling when I saw his figure standing over me. Refusing to look over at him, a sadness came over me.

He opened his mouth slightly like he was going to say something but turned and left the room. I turn my body around, lay on my good side facing the wall. Before I knew it, I had tears streaming down my face. Why does everyone think differently of me now? What did I do...?


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

The sun was far past set and I was still facing the same wall as before. No one came in, no one knocked. Did everyone stop caring? Is everyone gone? I pull my knees as much as I can to my chest without hurting my side, hugging them tightly. Maybe this was the end of everything for me.

"Enid, I hope you're okay..." I say as if the wall could hear me and send my message

"Who's Enid?" A voice asks lightly, someone I have never heard before, or so I thought

"Who is it" I ask without moving

"It's Michonne. Forget who I was" She teases

"Oh hey" A small smile forms on my face as I try to sit up and face her

"You don't have to move, it's okay"

"I need to move some anyway" I slowly move to the edge of the couch

"How are you feeling" She was sitting in the far corner of the room. I couldn't see her, it was too dark

"I still hurt but I should be fine..."

"That's good. We need you back"

"What do you mean?" I tilt my head in confusion

"When you feel a little better, I'll tell you" She sighs

"Alright..."

"There's a can of food and a spoon on the side table for you. When I came in here you were asleep and I didn't want to wake you" She says as she shines a light over to the table

I saw a figure move out from the edge of the light. "Oh uh thanks Michonne, appreciate it" I take the can, which was already opened and start eating the corn

"It wasn't me but you're welcome" She says with a smile on her face

I look down at the ground and keep eating. It couldn't have been Daryl, he won't even look at me.

"If you don't mind me asking, who is Enid?" Michonne asks trying not to be rude

I scrape the last bits of corn out of the can and eat them. "My little sister. Lost her on the first day of this shit"

"Lost, lost?" She asks sitting next to me

"No, not that lost, I don't think. She got separated from me and that's the last I saw of her. I tried following her tracks but they went cold..." I put the empty can and spoon back on the table

"Maybe we will find her. Hopefully we will" Michonne gives me a generous smile and gently rubs my back for reassurance

"Thanks Michonne" I give her a small smile

"If you need me I'll be on the pew closest to the door okay?" She stands up and takes the can

I nod, "Alright"

"See you in the morning" Michonne quietly leaves with a smile and closes the door

With a small sigh, I stand up and gently take off my jeans and pick up my bag from across the room. I look through it but don't find my sweatpants. Is this even my bag?

"Lookin' for those?" Daryl asks standing in front of the door, a light shining onto my sweatpants which are laying on the couch.

"Why are you in here and why did you go through my bag" I ask kind of annoyed, pulling the blanket off the couch and putting it around me

"I knew you were gonna want 'em" He says shutting off the flashlight

I roll my eyes and take my sweatpants and enter a small closet leaving the blanket on the floor. I lean up against the door and slowly slip on my sweatpants.

"Ya know you shouldn't be movin' around like that yet" Daryl says trying to get under my skin. He's standing right outside the door

I look down at the knob as it slowly starts to turn. The door opened out into the room so I had nowhere to hide. He slowly opened the door, but I saw nothing. It was too dark. Small moonlight shining through the cracks in the doorframe, revealing the brass door knob. The light was behind him, he could easily see my bruised face and my clean shirt. Clean shirt? Who changed me?

"Come on, I'll carry you into bed" He says stepping closer to me

"Leave me alone, you don't care anyway" I say moving away from him, somehow managing to leave the closet and lock the door.

"Open the damn door Dodger" Daryl says violently shaking the knob to open the door

I slowly step back from the door, tripping on something and falling on my side. Balling my fists, it takes everything inside of me not to cry out in pain. The shaking of the knob had stopped. I slowly started to stand up when hands picked me up and put me on the couch.

"You don't listen now do you?" Daryl says tucking me in

"I said leave me alone dammit!" My voice was louder than I thought it was. His hand covered my mouth mid sentence

"Keep yappin' and I'll tape that mouth shut" His voice low and stern

The way he spoke honestly terrified me, tears filled my eyes. I have never seen him like this before. Was this the Daryl I knew before?

He slowly released his hand from my mouth and walked back to the chair Michonne had recently occupied.

"Get some sleep, ya need it"

I feel my side, it was warm, bleeding.

"I-I can't..." I say quietly

"Why not" He says getting up and coming over to me

"My stitches..."

He takes the blanket off of me and gently sits me up. Next thing I knew, the flashlight was in his mouth and he was taking my shirt off.

"What are you doing!?" I resist him trying to take my shirt off

"Knock it off dammit" He says harshly

I let him take off my shirt as I hold back the tears, the tears of him yelling at me and the tears from the pain. He goes down to my side and gently wipes some blood from it. Then he takes my shirt and wraps it around my waist kind of tight.

"T-that hurts..." The pain is ridiculous, my eyes shut tightly

"Well I ain't lettin' you bleed out" He stands up and quietly exits the room. He's pissed, I know he is.

I look down at my hand, covered in blood. My blood. If he would have just left me alone, this wouldn't have happened!

He comes back in with a box and lays me down. Untying the shirt, he moves it up and starts cleaning my wound. My body flinches away and curls from the pain. I'm short breathed and it's very difficult to hold in my screams.

"Stop fuckin' movin'!" Daryl yells at me quietly

"I can't!" I yell quietly, tears streaming down my face

Daryl leaves once again to soon return with a needle with liquid inside of it. He flicks the side a few times and makes sure he has the right amount.

"W-what is that" I ask nervously

"Somethin' to make you shut up" He says holding down my arm and sending it into my veins

"Daryl! Stop!" I yell, not caring how loud I was. Someone needs to stop him.

He looks at me, beyond pissed off. Slowly taking the needle out of my arm, he puts a some cotton on the injection site and bends my arm. Everything was getting fuzzy and I felt weak and limp. Propofol... He injected me with Propofol... The last thing I saw before everything went black was Rick, Carl, Michonne, and Maggie trying to come in at once.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

-Daryl's POV-

Dodger had popped her stitches, just what she needed. In my bag I had drugs that would knock her out for a few hours. I gave her Propofol. It'd put her in a coma for a bit, not long though. She'll be fine. She wasn't going to stay still so what else could I have done? Her pleads didn't stop me, she wasn't the same.

"Daryl what the hell are you doing!?" Rick yells taking the syringe from me and pulling me away from Dodger's side.

"I was helpin' her!" I yell back at him

Maggie rushed over to her side and quickly got to work on fixing her up again. She checked her pulse, her eyes, her breathing, and her temperature. I soon saw Carl make his way over to her side sitting next to her. He looked at her like a big sister or a mother-like figure.

"You're done seeing her for now" Rick said snapping me back into reality.

He had taken me out front without me even noticing. I was sitting on the ground. His words punctured my heart. I looked at the ground in despair.

"What were you thinking!?" Rick says worried, running a hand through his hair

"I just wanted to help her Rick"

Rick looks at me like I'm crazy or something. "You're kidding right?"

I don't look up at him or answer.

"What if whatever you just gave her kills her? Do you even know what that was!? Where did you get that!" Rick says aggravated, pacing back and forth in front of me

"Rick? A word please?" Maggie says coming out the door half way

Rick nods and goes back inside with her.

He has a point, what if she doesn't wake up or dies. It'll all be on me, they won't trust me. My position here is done for...

I sat outside for some time before Rick came back out. The look on his face didn't give me any sign of what happened.

"How is she..." I ask quietly

"You just tried to kill her and now you're asking how she is? Thought she was your girlfriend. Thought you loved her Daryl. When did all that change, huh?" He says coming closer to me

"I didn't try to kill her Rick"

"Well Maggie just told me that whatever was in there, could stop her heart. Is that still trying to save her? Trying to stop her heart is saving her?"

"Her heart rate was elevated, she'll be fine" I say putting my face in my hands

Rick stands up and sighs. I hear commotion inside, Rick goes inside and forces me to stay outside. He really doesn't trust me anymore...

When Rick went inside I couldn't hear what was going on. I don't know if something happened to Dodger or what. I wasn't scared, should I be?

-Maggie's POV-

I was restitching Dodger's side, cleaning it as I went. Every so often I would check her pulse to make sure it didn't stop. When Daryl came inside alone, he wasn't right. Before him and Dodger left the day before, they were all over each other. What made him change his mind like that? Dodger is so strong, they belong together.

The amount of blood Dodger was losing wasn't good. If I didn't get the bleeding to stop shortly, she would need blood transfusions and I can't do that. I finished her side quickly but correctly.

"Michonne?" I called, cleaning up Dodger's side

"Yes?" She says walking in the door

"Can you sit her up while I change her shirt?" I grab a clean shirt out of a bag

Michonne nodded and slowly sat her up. I carefully removed her shirt and slipped on a new one. She picked up Dodger while I changed the sheets so she wouldn't be lying in blood. As I was changing the sheet, Michonne spoke nervously

"Maggie... I can't find her pulse..." Her voice shakes

Panic rushed through my body and I felt her neck, nothing. Her wrist, nothing. Her temples, nothing. She didn't have a pulse, her heart had stopped.

"Lay her on the bed, quickly, now" I say to Michonne, pulling my short hair into a ponytail

Michonne puts her on the bed and puts her ear to her chest and her eyes widen, she frowns. "There's nothing there..." Her voice a whisper

I put my ear to her chest, just to make sure. There's was nothing, not even the slightest, slowest beat. I quickly started doing chest compressions. A defibrillator would be nice right about now...

"Michonne take over while I get Rick. Can you keep the rate I was doing?" I question quickly.

Michonne nods and comes over, I back away as she continues the motion. I quickly make my way out front without looking too too worried, but that didn't work. I open the front door to find Rick yelling at Daryl.

"Rick? A word please?" I said trying to hide the nervousness in my voice.

"What is it?" He says stepping inside as I close the door

"Whatever Daryl injected into her stopped her heart. We caught it when it happened so she should be fine. Michonne is doing chest compressions. If he gave her anymore, she would have been dead for sure..." I take a deep breath hoping she's okay

"Alright. Go back and make sure she doesn't go. I'll stay out with Daryl until she's stable" He says reaching for the doorknob

I nod and go back into her room, quickly shutting the door

"How is she?" I ask Michonne

"Still nothing" She says between compressions then checking her pulse

"I hate to do this, but what if we got Daryl in here?" I ask taking over

"Are you serious? She's pissed at him..." Michonne says

"Well then who else?"

"Carl maybe? I'd hate bringing him in here but do we have a choice" She suggests

I shrug and check her pulse. It's faint

"She's got one but it's faint..." I sigh

"That's okay" She crosses her arms

"But not good enough" I tuck the loose hairs behind my ears

I check her pulse, still the same.

"I'll be right back, watch her pulse..." I say to Michonne going out of the room

She nods and goes to her side.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

"Maggie is everything okay?" Glenn asks

"Everything is fine Glenn. We have any water?" I ask

He nods and hands me two bottles of water.

"Thanks" I say taking them

He smiles but it quickly fades, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, promise" I say giving a fake smile

"Maggie..." Michonne says loudly, poking her head out of the door biting her lip out of nervousness.

I quickly hand the bottles back to my husband and run back in there. I enter without closing the door, Michonne next to me. I checked for a pulse but again found nothing, I started compressions again. Before I knew it, everyone was in the doorway.

"Maggie what happened" Rick says going through everyone

"I-I need a defibrillator Rick. Now" I demand, my voice shaky

"I can make something up" Eugene says

"Well hurry up!" I yell

"Maggie let me" Rick says taking over

I start pacing around the room. If my dad was here, he'd have her alive. Glenn comes over to me and hugs me tightly.

"She's going to be fine, I know she will and so do you..." He says calmly

"You don't know that..." My voice was a whisper

"You know she's strong. Daryl can't take her out that easily, even I saw that in her"

I held onto Glenn tightly, then I heard a weird charging sound and Eugene yelling, "Clear!" Then a shock

I can't even look, seeing a lifeless body flop on a bed. Glenn's arm is wrapped around me and he leads me to the door, to find Daryl in our way.

"Get out of my way" I say to Daryl bitterly

He doesn't move, his eyes are locked on what is going on inside the room.

"Move!" I yell, shoving him out of my way

Glenn closes the door and starts to take me over to a pew while Daryl goes over to the door. I go over and stand in front of it.

"You made her heart stop, why should you go in there and see if she comes back or not. What you want to go in there and watch her die because you know you gave her too much, is that it!?" I yell

He doesn't answer, he looks down to me. His eyes full of tears, I've never seen him like this. Seeing him so upset didn't affect me, he put her like that so why should he care.

"I-I didn't mean to hurt her..." He says quietly

"Why didn't you come get me then!?"

"I thought I could do it"

"Well guess what, you couldn't! G-Get out of my face and stay away from her" I say to him, pissed off

Daryl was hurting, badly. He sat next to the door and hugged his knees. I went back over to Glenn who wrapped me in his arms and held me on the pew.

"He loves her, you know that right?" Glenn whispers in my ear

"He tried killin' her" I whisper back

"No he didn't, the syringe he used wasn't labeled. He eyeballed how much he gave her, I checked..."

I sigh and rest my head on his chest. This can't be real...

A few minutes later, Eugene came out of the room followed by Abraham and Rosita. Then Father Gabriel, Tara, and Carol. Sasha hadn't gone in there, but I'm surprised Carol did. Judith was asleep in her little box. Rick, Michonne, and Carl were the only ones left in there. As each person walked out, they didn't have a happy or sad look on their face. They all passed Daryl without even looking at him. I got up and slowly made my way over to the door. Daryl looked up at me, his eyes red and puffy.

"Can I go in now?" He asks quietly

"I don't know, are you gonna try and kill her again" I went to say harshly but it came out plain

He shook his head and stood up.

"Just stay here a second" I stop him and go in, closing the door behind me

"How is she..." I ask, wrapping my arms around myself

"I can't tell..." Rick says sighing

"She barely has a pulse" Michonne says looking at the floor

I look over at Carl, he is sitting next to her holding her hand. Not in a weird way, he just wants her back. She was his buddy...

"Daryl wants to know if he can come in" I say quietly

Rick sighs heavily, "I'll strip him of any weapons and bring him in. Maybe I'll stay while the rest of us leave them alone"

"I'm not leaving her dad..." Carl says through his tears

Carl's words hit Rick like a steel rod to the face.

"Can you make sure Daryl doesn't do anything stupid then?"

"I'm not going to let him lay a finger on her dad, not unless he asks" Carl says, not even looking at Rick

"Alright then I guess it's settled. Let's leave them alone"

-Daryl's POV-

I didn't mean to give her too much of the Propofol. I didn't want her dead. I needed to see her before I kill myself from her leaving me. She wasn't the same but I felt so empty and alone without her by my side.

When everyone left her room, Maggie went in but stopped me. Soon she came back out followed by Rick and Michonne. Her and Michonne went to their beds and Rick stood me up. He patted me down and took everything from me.

"Just want to be safe. You can go in now" He says sternly

I nod and slowly enter her room. What I saw was Carl crying, hugging her body. Seeing him crying hurt me so much. I caused more pain than I thought...

"Carl... 'm sorry..." I say slowly going over to him

"Don't come any closer!" He says through his tears

"...How is she..."

"Barely has a pulse. Too faint..." He doesn't even look at me


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

I pull up a chair and sit next to Carl. Resting my forehead on the bed, I quietly start crying too. This was all my fault, this is what I get for trying to help.

Carl wipes his tear-filled face. "Why did you drop her? Why did you leave her?" He asks facing me, his arms and body still draped over Dodger.

I pick up my head slowly, "I had a bad feeling and I went after it... I don't know why I just left like that. I felt the need to just go... Ever since then, her and I haven't been the same"

"Yeah I don't blame her. You dropped her and left her. After you did whatever you did, you never even brought her in, I did. You came in and didn't say anything about her. I found her out there, bleeding and unconscious..."

He's right. I did leave her and never said anything about how she was out there.

"I-I don't know what I was thinkin' to be honest with you Carl..." I confess

"I thought you loved her" He says through his gritted teeth

I don't know how I felt about her now...

"You don't care about her, do you?" He frowns

"I put her here, why wouldn't I care?"

"You know what Daryl, if so care about her why did you leave her? Why did you shove tons of drugs into her veins? Why do look at her so differently!?" Carl says angrily, picking his head up

I looked down at the floor, I was getting yelled at by a teenager...

Carl sighs and hugs Dodger one last time before leaving her side.

"You better not lay a finger on her" He says, leaving the room

Looking over at her, body pale and limp. Tears form in my eyes and I quickly shake them away. I didn't need to cry over her, she wasn't who she was before. I stand up, looking down on her, she looked dead to me. Carl said not to touch her so I didn't check if she was alive or not.

"Who are we anymore... What are we..." I say to myself before leaving the room. It was going to be sometime before people start trusting me again...

~next morning~

I didn't sleep last night, I couldn't. It felt as if Dodger was haunting me. Every so often I would see Maggie or Michonne go in and come back out a few minutes later. What would Dodger say to me when she wakes up, if she does...

Everyone slowly starts waking up after the sunrises. Rick goes into her room with Carl and Father Gabriel. Gabriel doesn't even know her but I guess that's what priests do.

"You hungry?" Carol comes over to me with a smile

"Nah 'm not" I look down at my feet

"What's wrong pookie?" She asks getting to my level. Saying 'Pookie' in a joking way

"Nothin's wrong"

"Now we both know that's a lie Daryl" She frowns

"Why? What are you happy she's probably gone?!" My voice was louder than I wanted it to be

Carol didn't know what to say and everyone was staring. They thought I wanted Dodger dead...

"No that's not true. You're happy with her, I can see that. I'm sorry for what happened between her and I before. I was jealous, that's all. But I accept that you love her Daryl. You need to be with her" She says calmly

"Nah I don't" I say getting up, only to be stopped by Carol

"You know you need her and that she needs you"

"We'll see about that" I stand up and walk away, I don't need this

I look around for my crossbow but forgotten that Rick had taken it. Looking out the window Dodger was peering through, I could picture her face against it. It sent chills down my spine, pain in my heart. I haven't seen her alive, not yet.

"I think you should go out and hunt for awhile, clear your mind a bit. You need it, go on" Rick says handing me my crossbow

"Oh so you trust me with this now?" I turn and face him

"Daryl you need alone time, I get it. You can't be stuck in here all the time"

I take my crossbow and throw it over my shoulder

"How much you want" I ask referring to food

"Enough to feed everyone" Rick says, looking away hiding a small smile

Did that mean Dodger is okay? I shouldn't get my hopes up...

"Be back by noon" I say walking out the doors. Hopefully I'd be back by then

-Maggie's POV-

I was sitting in the chair in Dodger's room when I heard the front doors slam. Dodger still wasn't up but she had a pulse, still not great but better than it was before. I open the door and step out,

"Who was that?"

"Daryl, I told him to get some food. He'll be back soon" Rick says picking up Judith

I nod and go back in her room. The pile of dirty, bloody clothes was growing in the corner of her room. Picking them up, I shoved them into a bag.

"I'm going to the river to wash these off" I grab my knife and pistol

"I'll go with you. I can collect water upstream while you wash them downstream" Michonne offers

"Is that going to be okay?" Rick asks

"Yes. Dodger is for the most part stable so we don't really have to babysit her as much" I clarify

"So she's stable?"

"For the most part"

"Alright. Just be careful" Rick says opening the door for Michonne and I

"We won't be too long" Michonne says with a smile

Me and Michonne quietly walk to the creek. She goes upstream and I go downstream, roughly 10 feet away from her. I soon begin to wash Dodger's clothes when Michonne breaks the silence.

"What about Daryl"

"What do you mean?" I tilt my head in some confusion

"What do we tell him?"

"Rick will tell him, that's not on us"

"But if all of us are out here, what if he finds us and asks" She frowns

"I don't know" I really didn't

"Do we lie to Daryl?"

"That's all we need..." I sigh

"Lie to me about what" Daryl says slowly coming from behind a tree

"Nothin' Daryl. Not lyin' about anythin'" I try to clarify

"Hmpf" He rolls his eyes

"It was just a thought, I wasn't going to lie about anything" Michonne says

"Whatever. What are y'all doin' out here anyway" He scoffs

"I wanted to wash up some clothes and Michonne wanted to accompany me and grab some water"

"Why do you have Dodger's clothes"

"Because she can't stay in the same clothes Daryl" I sigh, hanging her jeans over a tree branch

"So she's okay?" He asks quickly

"It's not a definite. I would like to wash her and change her clothes"

He didn't know what to say, he just nodded awkwardly.

"I'll stay with y'all then" He says sitting against a tree

"You don't have to. Don't you have to get food?" Michonne asks

"Already did. Carol has it"

"Oh, okay"

But why was he with us? Did he want to know more about Dodger? I know Rick hasn't been telling him everything.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Daryl asks quietly

"You know she's strong, what do you think?" I ask

He just shrugs and looks up at the sky. "I just hope she will be alright"

"But you put her there?" Michonne says, confused on what he was thinking

"Carol convinced me that I need her. And maybe that Dodger needs me..."

"Maybe she's right, but did you think  
of what Dodger might think when she wakes up?" Michonne reluctantly asks

"I don't want to think about it..." He says upset, his voice a whisper

I put the last of Dodgers clothes over a branch, Michonne filled her last water bottle. Daryl had a knife in his hand, looking at his reflection in the blade.

"Is that Dodger's?" I ask sitting next to  
him

"Yeah..."

I nod, "She's gonna be okay, you know that"

"But she's gonna kill me Maggie" He looks over at me

"No she won't. She wouldn't do that"

"She's gonna hold everything against me. She's not gonna look at me the same way as before. What if she doesn't want me anymore..." By his last sentence, his voice was cracking, he was trying not to cry. He loves her...

"Daryl, everything is going to be okay"

He looks down at the ground and sighs, "I hope so..."


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23  
**  
-Dodger's POV-

Black, everywhere I looked. It was honestly pretty terrifying. I didn't know where I was, there was no one with me. Every so often I'd hear voices but I couldn't figure out who they belonged to.

I tried to open my eyes but they felt glued shut. Trying to raise my arm, nothing happened. Was I dead? Panic filled what was left of me and I sat up, trying to catch my breath. Wait. I looked around, taking in my surroundings. I was still in the church's backroom. The sun was out and it was getting warm. Where was everyone?

Climbing off the couch, I changed into my clothes that were on the table. I put my boots on and went to grab my knife, which was gone.

"You gotta be kidding me..." I say to myself quietly

I throw my dirty, bloody hair into a messy bun and open the door.

"Dodger!" Carl yells running over to me. He wraps his arms around my waist and hugs me tightly

"I-I thought you were gone..." He silently cries, his head resting on my shoulder

I hug him and rub his back, "You can't get rid of me that easily"

Carl still held onto me as everyone got up and made their way over.

"Dodger..." Rick says putting a hand on my other shoulder, happiness all over his face

"Hey Rick" I smile a little

Carl lets me go smiling and picks up Judith.

"It's so good to have you back..." Rick says hugging me tightly, one hand on the back of my head

"It's good to be back" I hug him back too. I feel like I might be doing a quite amount of hugging...

Rick lets go of me with a smile on his face, relieved. Next in line was Carol. Carol?

She slowly comes up to me with an apologetic look on her face.

"Dodger listen, I explained this to Daryl yesterday and I knew I had to come to you too... When we first met I was jealous, really jealous. I can see now that you love him, I accept that. I'm sorry for everything that's happened... Can we start over?" When she mentioned Daryl, a shiver went down my spine. I could never look at Daryl the same way anymore, not after what he did to me...

"It's okay Carol, I was jealous too. Of course we can start over" I say with a smile

"Thank you" She returns the smile and hugs me

Maggie and Michonne didn't come up to see me. I don't even think they were here... Everyone else was still skeptical of me and kinda walked away. I understood, I did.

"Are you hungry?" Carol asks taking me to a pew by the altar

"Not really but I should probably eat..." I sit  
down

"I'll get you some squirrel" She says as she hurries off towards the back of the church

When the door closed I heard it quickly reopen. I turned to look to see who it was. Daryl, followed my Maggie and Michonne. I turn away from him and hide my face. Before I knew it, Maggie and Michonne were running over to me and stood me up for a warming group hug

"Oh it's so good to have you back" Maggie says happily

"It sure is" Michonne adds

"It feels good to be back" I smile and look up to see Daryl standing in front of me

I swallowed hard and quickly walked out to Carol. She was out front cooking squirrel. I sat on the bottom step and put my forehead on my knees.

"What's wrong?" Carol asks sitting next to me

Before I could answer, the door opened to reveal Daryl standing there. I looked at Carol out of the corner of my eye and she got it. She stood up and closed the door, probably giving him some stupid excuse. She sat next to me and gently rubbed my back

"He loves you, you know that, right?" She asks whispering in case if he was standing at the door

I sit up and look her in the eye, "But what he did to me..."

"I don't know what he was thinking at the time, but he says that all he wanted to do was help you. He never meant to hurt you"

"That's such shit!" I protest, not whispering anymore

"I know it may seem like that-"

"No, that's what it is! I'm sorry but if he loved me, I wouldn't have almost died!" I get off of the steps and stand in front of her

"He wouldn't have dropped me, he wouldn't have injected Propofol into my system, he wouldn't have left me!" I sort of yell, balling my fists

The door slowly opens, "Dodger..." His raspy voice was soft

"No! Leave me alone!" I turn and walk away

"Dodger you can't go out there" Carol says grabbing my wrist

"Carol please, let me go"

"I won't, you need to rest, you need to stay here..." She pleads

"I just need some alone time..." I say sternly

Carol sighed in disappointment and nods.

"Just don't be too long,-"

"Please..." Daryl finishes her sentence

I look at him with wide eyes and walk into the woods. How can he be someone completely different now?

-Daryl's POV-

When I came back with Maggie and Michonne, I couldn't believe my eyes. Dodger was sitting down, looking to see who entered the room. She was alive... I was so happy to see her I could have cried, but the look on her face would beg to differ. Her face was full of terror, I wasn't the same person in her eyes.

Maggie and Michonne ran over to her and hugged her. I slowly made my way over and stood next to them. When Dodger looked up and saw me, she quickly walked away. I went to call her name but Maggie looked at me.

"You should try to talk to her..." She suggests

"A-are you sure?" I question quickly

"Just try. That's all you can do right now..."

I nod and make my way back to the door. I could hear her and Carol talking. When Dodger's voice began to rise, and Carol started protesting, I opened the door.

"Just don't be too long" Carol starts

"Please..." I finish her sentence

Dodger looks at me like she just saw a ghost. When she walks away, my head falls. Tears swell in my eyes and I close the door. I sit on the step and cry silently. Carol sits next to me without a word.

"What did I do..." I ask trying to hide that fact I had tears pouring out of my eyes

"Well first off, you left her in the woods. Then you popped her stitches and tried to fix them. Put drugs in the veins and almost killed her. You have to convince her that you didn't want her dead and you didn't mean to hurt her..." Carol explains

"She won't even look at me without terror and fear in her eyes..."

"I know. I used to look at Ed like that too..." She looks down at her feet

I pick my head up and look over at her, "Can I fix this?"

"Can you?"

"Probably not" I sigh

She looks over at me, "Just think about it Daryl. If you think, you might be able to find a solution"

Carol stands up and goes back to cooking the squirrel I had brought back earlier. It was more than likely for Dodger, considering she hasn't eaten in days. When you looked at her you couldn't really tell but soon you would be able to.

I don't move from the step, I had nowhere else to go. Memories of Dodger and I came into my mind, pulling me down. Her laugh, her smile, her eyes, when I held her over the edge, when she woke up crying. I still me never figured out why she was crying, but I should have.

"You want to go see how far she got before her food gets cold?" Carol asks me, kicking me out of my trance

"Yeah I guess..." I reply quietly

"Just tell her I said come and eat. That's all"

I stand up and nod, "You're gonna help me through this, right?"

"Of course I will" She smiles

"Thank you..."

She places a hand on my shoulder, "Now go bring her back. Try not to be too forceful"


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

I slightly nod and head into the woods. Dodger had walked away about a half hour ago, she couldn't be too far.

"Dodger?" I call calmly

No answer

"Carol sent me to tell ya that you're food's done..."

I pick up a trail that's not too old. It's her boot, I know it is. I follow it aways, every so often calling for her

"Dodger?"

No response, I was at a creek again.

"What is with her you creeks" I tease knowing she had to have been here, a warm smile on my face

"They're relaxing" Dodger's voice finally fills the air

I follow her voice across the creek to a log, it sends a chill down my spine. She was holding her left wrist.

"You okay?" I ask not getting any closer

"I'm fine" She is still terrified of me, you can hear it in her voice

"Carol sent me to tell you that you're food's done" Standing where I was, I could see blood slowly dripping from her wrist. Dodger, what are you doing...

"Oh okay. I uh will be there in a second. You can go back, I know the way"

"You sure? I'm just checking" I try not to sound bossy

"Yeah, I'll catch up with you..." She stood up and moved her hands behind her back. She had slit both her wrists, I saw them. Sadness came over me, just like when I couldn't see her

"Dodger w-why..." I could barely speak without crying

"I-I'm fine please, just go back, I-I'll be right behind you..." She knew I saw what she had done

"I don't want to leave you behind again... Never again" I slowly take a step towards her. When I do this, she flinches and takes a step back not taking her eyes off of me

I take off all my weapons, including my knives. "I won't hurt you, just let me see them" I put my hands up as I take another step towards her

Her eyes are still full of fear as I slowly make my way over to her. I take the knife, Carol's knife, from her hand.

"How'd you get this?" I ask

"B-before I walked away I-I took it out of her pocket..." She answers quietly

I toss the knife to the ground and look at her wrists.

"They're not too deep" I take a clean rag from my back pocket and wrap one of her wrists

"I-I know. If I went any deeper I-I'd cut a vein, then bleed out..."

"Come on, let's get you back and clean you up. Carol cooked up some squirrel for you" I say calmly looking into her eyes

"Just give me a second. I'll follow you" She looks down, avoiding eye contact

"I'll stay with you but I'll give you space"

"Please, just leave me" Dodger pleads stepping away from me towards the creek

I pick up the knife and my weapons. I leave her be and sit on the log she was on before. She knelt by the flowing water and put both her arms up to elbows in water. I could hear and see her trying not to show pain but I knew it was painful. I went over and sat next to her,

"It's alright to cry Dodger... I haven't gone a day without crying since I left ya..." I confess

She doesn't look up at me, she just hangs her head and cries. She collapses onto herself, I wanted to pull her onto my lap when Carol's voice rung in my head, 'Don't be forceful'

"May I?" I ask quietly, holding out a hand

Dodger shakes her head no and I take my hand back. She still needed space but she needed to come home.

"I hate askin' you all these questions but could I at least carry you back..."

"Will you leave me alone?" She asks quietly

" 'm sorry Dodger..." I look down and mentally curse myself

I sit next to her as she calms down. She needed to calm down but not here.

It wasn't too long before she took her arms out of the water. I watched her dry them off and the blood had stopped pouring from her arms. Cuts ranged from her wrist to mid forearm. I just wanted to pick her up, hold her close and never let go.

"Dodger..."

"What" She answers, almost a whisper

"Please don't ever do that again..." In my voice you could hear guilt, this was my fault

She stands up and starts heading back to the church.

-Dodger's POV-

When I left Carol and Daryl, I needed to get away. Seeing everyone so happy and how they all acted like I was fine was too much. I was hurting on the inside and I didn't know why.

I wandered off until I found a creek and sat on a log. Pulling out Carol's knife, I looked at my reflection in the blade. All I saw was a monster. I wasn't who I was before. It killed me to see myself like this. I couldn't figure out why, but I couldn't help myself from putting the blade to my skin. Each time I went across, I felt no pain. I just sat there and watched my dark red blood emerge from the thin slices.

Watching the blood drip, I heard footsteps and a voice. I quickly put my hand on top of my wrist, trying to hide the cuts. Daryl emerged from the trees to tell me my food was done. I tried to hide my hands behind my back but he caught a glimpse. He was so upset and disappointed. He wrapped my left wrist but I took it off and put my arms into the creek. The cold water entered the marks, stinging.

When he told me it was okay to cry and ever since he left me he's been crying, I couldn't hold the tears in any longer. I didn't cry because he missed me, it was the pain. The pain from now and before. He isn't the same person I knew a week ago. I don't know who he was.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

I gathered myself and started walking back to the church with my arms crossed. Maybe I should go in the window to where I was and change first...

Taking the long way around wasn't too hard, I had lost Daryl awhile back. I snuck in through the window and pulled out a long sleeve shirt from my bag. I took off the shirt I had on, then the door opened.

"O-oh, I-I'm sorry..." I hear Daryl say shoving a few people back.

Luckily, I wasn't facing the door but my injured side was. You could see my whole figure. I sighed and put a light wrap around my forearms, then slipped my shirt on. I took a look in the mirror, my eyes were bloodshot and my face still held bruises all over. What if she saw me like this...

There was a knock on the door, interrupting my thoughts of Enid. I open the door to see Daryl standing there with his head down.

"Yes?" I ask, not amused on how he was already up my ass

"Sorry about before, I didn't know where you were... I uh have your food" Daryl doesn't pick his head up, he just offers me the plate

"Thanks..." I reply in a whisper, taking the plate

He gently takes my hand and lifts up my sleeve the tiniest bit. I don't pull away, he was still worried about me and I knew it wasn't going to stop.

"They ain't gonna leave scars are they?" He puts my sleeve down

I shrug and slowly walk away, leaving him in the doorway. I sit on the bed with my legs crossed, eating the squirrel.

"You got somethin' on your mind..." Daryl says entering the room and closing the door behind him

"It's nothin'" Of course Enid was something, but he didn't know about her

He sighs a little and sits on the chair next to the bed, "Alright..."

I quickly finish my food and put the plate next to me.

"Was wonderin' if you would want to come out huntin' with me later on. Last time you had some luck" He offers with a small smile

I shrug and lie down. Did I really want to be alone with him?

He stands up and puts my plate on the table.

"You gonna rest for awhile?" He asks

"Yeah..." I lay on my side facing the door

He nods and takes the blankets and covers me up. It felt so uncomfortable and weird when he tucked me in.

"Mind if I stay? I'll leave you alone" He asks, pulling the loose hairs out of my face

"You can stay..." I reply quietly, pulling the blanket closer

He smiles and gives me a small nod. He ends up in the chair again but reclined. I let out a small sigh and closed my eyes.

As I slept, all I could dream about was Enid. It was like the dream/flashback I had before but this time, it was just me and her. We were running from these people who were following us. I don't remember much, but the most vivid thing was a man who had completely lost his mind.

I awoke in a panic, no surprise. I attempt to move but I couldn't. Looking down, I was still in bed but Daryl's arms held me tightly. Was I freaking out and talking in my sleep?

With his arms around me, I don't think I've ever felt so uncomfortable in my life. I was about to ask him to move when his soft snores filled the empty air. We were both under the blanket, but he was hogging most of it. I gently pulled it over me but leaving some on him. Burying my face into the couch, tears of loneliness and emptiness slowly made their way down my face. When I cried, I didn't make a sound. My breathing was steady and it didn't seem like I was balling my eyes out.

"Dodger? You alright?" Daryl asks, placing a hand on my shoulder

"I-I'm fine..." I sit up, my back to him and I wipe my face

I could feel him sit up, sitting next to me. He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me onto his lap. Laying my head on his chest, he rested his cheek on top of my head. His arms were wrapped around me as he held me close. Last time I woke up crying he didn't bother to ask, was he going to this time? Does he still care?


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26  
**  
He picks his head up and goes to say something but the door was quickly kicked open by Rick, who was panicking severely.

"We have to leave right now"

"Why what happened?" Daryl asks quickly

"There's a hoard comin' and we have to leave" Rick says, peering over his shoulder

"C'mon Dodger get your stuff" Daryl stands me up, then quickly putting his boots on

I just stand there and watch the chaos begin. Everyone was running around, grabbing their things and gathering everyone in the other room. From what I saw, the front door was being held shut, that's where the dead must have been.

"Baby please we have to go" Daryl demands

I just stared at him blankly. Not that he called me 'baby' I just didn't want to leave

"N-no..." I stutter, confused

"I ain't leavin' you behind. I'd never do that to you again. I was so stupid for doing that" He confesses, taking my hand

"Daryl just leave my stuff and go!" I plead

Tears formed in his eyes and he balled his fists. "Dodger I can't leave you! Not again! I can't lose you!"

"You'll be fine without me! Just take care of Carl and Judith..." I look down at the ground, knowing I might now make it out of here

"I'll leave you my knife in case you need it..." He says through his tears, placing the knife on the bed

When he places the knife, he looks down at me, wanting to pick me up and take me with him. He was too scared to because last time it didn't go over so well. Before he left he wanted to do something but didn't know what. I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him as tight as I could.

"Go. Be careful..." My voice a whisper, I release my arms from him

"Dodger... I love you, okay?" Tears were streaming down his face

I nod as tears quickly form in my eyes. He looks at me one last time before closing the door and leaving with everyone else.

I slipped on my boots and pulled my hair back. Gathering myself, I put my bag near where everyone was escaping from. Carl's cries and pleads echoed throughout the forest piercing my heart. Holding my knife in my right hand and Daryl's in my left, I stood in the center of the church, ready for whatever came through those front doors.

-Carl's POV-

I was sitting at the front of the church feeding Judith. My dad was out looking around when he rushed inside and started grabbing wood.

"Dad..." I ask worried

"Don't move" He demands as he rushes around the church

I couldn't go and get Daryl to help my dad because he was with Dodger and the door was locked. I highly doubt she would let him get close to her...

After many minutes of panic and chaos, Father Gabriel leads us to a hole in the floor in a side room.

"Through here. It leads to the back of the church"

"You first" Maggie says to him

Gabriel nods and hops down, "Hand me the little one"

Judith was already whiny, she doesn't need to go to him.

"No I got her" I say holding her close

After he disappears, everyone else follows. Maggie goes and takes Judith, I hop down and my dad comes in the door alone.

"Dad where are they!?" Dodger and Daryl weren't with him

"Carl, go. It's okay" He says coming over

I climb out and sit on the floor, "I'm not leaving without them!" I plead

My dad gets down and pulls me along with him. I struggle but it was no use. He was trying to save me but we were leaving people behind... When we were just about to get out from below the church, then I heard footsteps. My dad and I stood up waiting for them, but there was only Daryl.

He didn't say anything, he just glanced at my dad and walked to everyone else.

"Carl come on" My dad puts a hand on my shoulder

I sit on the ground and look under the church, no Dodger. Tears form in my eyes and flow down my face.

"N-no!" I cry, I didn't care how loud I was

My dad stands me up but I just struggle with him and manage to break free and fall to the ground. I start going over to the church but I was grabbed by Daryl and my dad.

"No! We can't!" I plead, tears falling onto my shirt

Dodger was like a mom to me, a big sister I never had. How could they just leave her behind!?

I was walking close to Daryl, my dad with everyone else. We were at the back of the group, lingering a few feet behind.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Daryl wipe his face.

"I haven't stopped since she made me leave..." He confesses, I could barely hear him speak

"B-but why..." I try not to cry anymore

"She told me to take care of you and Judith. Told me I didn't need her and to just leave her. I left my knife with her... I should've drug her out with me..." He looks over at me, eyes red

"Maybe she knew she was going to die and didn't want to do it in front of us..." I say starting to cry again

Daryl puts his arm over my shoulder, "Please don't say that..."

"Sorry..."

"I should've convinced her to come with me..." I could hear him start crying again

"Like Maggie told me, she's strong... She'll make it... Just like before" I look up at Daryl, trying to fight off tears

"But she fought so hard last time. What if she doesn't get that chance again?"

"That's what _if_ , doesn't mean it's true..."

"Yeah that's true..." His head drops again, we were getting farther and farther away from everyone.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

 **-Dodger's POV-**

 ***next morning***

 **I woke with a start, almost falling off the pew I was occupying. "God..." I said with a panic, checking my arms.**

 **In my dream, I was finishing off the last of the walkers stumbling into the church. As many as I killed, not a single one touched me. I was waiting for the last walker to stumble over when another grabbed my shoulder and my elbow taking a large bite out of my arm. I started screaming, then it ended.**

 **I checked my arms just to make sure I wasn't dreaming about what I was feeling. From head to toe I was covered in walker blood, fantastic. I stood up from the pew and stretched. Now that my mind was a bit clearer, I could go back to Rick and the group, I hope I could at least.**

 **When I shooed Daryl away, I know it killed him. Hearing Carl yell and cry because I didn't come back with Daryl made me want to cry. I blocked him out though, focusing on the walkers coming for my flesh.**

 **The church held no food, so I was left to starve. Since everyone left about mid-noon yesterday, they couldn't have gone too far. I threw my crossbow over my shoulder, Daryl's knife in my hand. My knife was in my pocket, but I felt the need to carry his. I headed out in search for everyone, my side killing me. Picking up their tracks was impossible hence the dead surrounded the church. Using the little luck I held, I picked a pair of footprints and followed them into the woods.**

 **-Daryl's POV-**

 **It was high noon now, I haven't eaten or slept. They tried giving me food but I wouldn't take it. I left my girlfriend, well probably ex girlfriend, behind. Dodger was the only thing on my mind, that was never going to change.**

 **Since we got to this overturned housing complex that we cleaned out, I've tried multiple times to go back out and find Dodger but Rick wouldn't let me. He said it was 'too dangerous' and he didn't want to lose anyone else, he had lost enough already.**

 **It's been almost a whole day since I left her. I hate myself so much for leaving her behind, why was I so fucking stupid? She did tell me to leave but I could have taken her anyway!**

 **I just wanted her back... To tell her how much I need her... To explain to her how fucked up I feel for everything I had done to her... I need her in my life... I think... I love her...**

 **I was sitting on watch by the front gate, Rick thought it would be best in case she did come back, I should be the one to greet her, to welcome her back. Rick didn't question me on why I left her or why she didn't come, maybe he didn't want to know or maybe he did. I held my crossbow and Sasha's rifle, 'extra protection' they said.**

 **Every so often a walker would stumble by and someone would come to see if I was okay. I was okay on the outside but I knew, and so did they, that I really wasn't.**

 **"Daryl, I think you should eat" Rick says to me lightly, sitting on the ground next to me**

 **"Nah 'm alright"**

 **"You haven't eaten since she woke up" He looks over at me, a plate of food in his hand**

 **"I'm fine, really, I am" I wasn't hungry, my mind was set on something other than food.**

 **"I won't force you" He says with a sigh and leaves with the food**

 **Nice talking you too Rick... I understand that I'm not who I was, but they don't have to treat me so differently. Don't they get that I've lost the only thing I love?**

 **I couldn't tell you how long I sat out there, the sun was near setting, and not a thing has coming my way. I noticed a walker slowly stumbling towards the entrance. It didn't stumble like one, it kinda... walked. Since it was only one, I put the rifle inside the gate. I threw my crossbow over my shoulder and pulled out a knife Rick gave me. Casually walking over to the dead, the closer I got the move life-like it seemed. I didn't stop going over to it. As I got closer I saw it was a female, this couldn't have been her... she wouldn't go so easily...**

 **I slowed down as I got closer to her, well it. When I was in arm's length, I put my hand on its shoulder, which was warm. It didn't come after me when I got close. Pulling my arm back to stab it in the head, I heard words...**

 **"First the butt of your crossbow, now death?" Dodger questioned quietly, her eyes closed tightly, ready for the knife in the head.**

 **When I heard her spoke I was speechless. Was this really her? Was I hallucinating? I let go of the body, dropped the knife and took a step back**

 **"Oh right... I'm still covered in blood huh? Got a place I could clean up?" She asks with a small smile like nothing ever happened**

 **"D-Dodger...?" Wow good job me...**

 **"Hi Daryl" She said in the calmest way**

 **** **I felt like a damn idiot but I placed my hand on her cheek. Finding words was impossible for me right now... I felt her place a hand on mine.**

 **"Yes, it's really me..." She spoke gently, like someone would to a child**

 **I just looked down at her, still in shock. It had to have been her... She put her arms around my waist and hugged me tightly, her head on my chest. The blood, which I was hoping wasn't hers, was dry. I took off our bows and picked her up, holding her close.**

 **"Can't find words huh?" She whispers in my ear, her head now resting on my shoulder**

 **I had tears coming out of my eyes, but I didn't care, I had** **my** **Dodger back in my arms. I smiled at her teasing and kissed her cheek.**

 **"Oh come on I know you missed me" She states, picking her head up off my shoulder and placing her hands on my cheeks.**

 **"Why wouldn't I?" I spoke, but it was barely audible. I was holding back tears, even though you could tell I was crying**

 **Before I knew it, her lips were on mine. I didn't kiss her this time, she kissed** ** _me_** **. How could I not kiss her back right now? I don't think I've kissed anyone like I did right now. I had missed her so damn much.**

 **She reluctantly broke away after some time then kissed my nose. She had tears slowly streaming down her face, the dry blood slowly disappearing from her cheeks. Looking into her eyes, she wasn't crying out of sadness or pain, she was happy to have me back...**

 **"Dodger... I-I..." It was still tough to find words, but I had this**

 **She let out a small not girly giggle. Man I missed that smile of hers... I had a feeling she knew what I was about to say but she let me find the words.**

 **"Dodger... I think..." God dammit Daryl you can do this!**

 **Dodger rested her head on my shoulder, snuggling close to me, still in my arms. I sat down against a tree and held her like a baby on my lap.**

 **"You can do it" She looked up at me with a smile, giving me the words and confidence I needed**

 **I looked into her sky blue eyes, the words ready to roll off my tongue.**

 **"Dodger, I love you so fuckin' much..." I didn't rush saying it, but I didn't pause after every word.**

 **I don't think I've ever seen her smile like that... Her smile was contagious...**

 **"I love you more Daryl. I always have, no matter what happened"**

 **"Man I thought I'd never hear you say that after all the stupid shit I did..." I confess, something I have to do a lot of...** **  
** **  
"I'm just glad I have the old you back" Her voice was quiet, eyes shut. It was mid noon, but she needed the sleep.**

 **"C'mon, I'll take you inside. The back way, so you won't be bombarded by everyone" I helped her up, grabbed our bows and took her hand, leading her to the beaten down house.**


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

When we got closer to the house, I carried her bridal style into the back door. She was already half asleep when I picked her up, she was so adorable when she slept… I went upstairs to the small house and sat her on the bed. Helping her take her boots off and changing out of her bloody clothes, she laid down and pulled the sheet over her. Grabbing the other light blanket, I covered her up and tucked her in. By now I couldn't tell if she was still awake or not. Her breathing was already calm, her eyes shut. I gently pulled some of her hair out of her face and placed a light kiss on her cheek. Standing back up, she grabbed my wrist.

"Stay" she mumbled

I couldn't tell her no, I moved her over some and climbed in next to her. She turned over to face me, and snuggled me like I was a teddy bear.

"Night" she whispered

"Night Dodger"

*Dodger's POV*

Upon seeing Daryl again, I have never felt so happy and ecstatic in all my life. I didn't blame him for almost stabbing me, I looked dead. I don't think I have ever seen his eye color change so quickly… A dark depressed midnight blue to a dark sky blue. His eyes were never as light as mine, but they changed pretty drastically.

When he told me that he loved me, this butterfly feeling came all over me. I've never felt like this before… I knew I loved him, but I never knew what it actually felt like. Being held in his arms, I don't think I've ever felt so safe. The things I felt before when I first woke up were forever gone. Being alone, killing off the dead at the church made me think real damn hard about my life. I had figured out what was important to me, the people I needed to live for, who I needed to protect.

In the little house, it felt like our own. I doubt we would stay here long, but it was nice. I didn't want him to leave, I made him stay with me. He probably wasn't going anywhere anyway, but I wanted to be next to him, to feel his love again.

As I slept, my dream wanted to make me cry… It felt like a nightmare, more like what seemed to be the possible future. I was in a small kitchen cooking pancakes and sausage, Daryl entered the kitchen holding a baby girl. I don't think it was the middle of the apocalypse anymore, everything was so calm… The way he smiled at the baby was so heart warming. I put the plate of pancakes on the table and felt a weird sensation in my stomach. Looking down, my belly was big, I was pregnant..? It seemed so real… I felt the baby kick, I smelt the pancakes, I heard the birds chirping. It didn't feel like a dream…

Slowly waking from my nap, the sun was almost setting. Daryl was sound asleep next to me. I got out of bed, trying not to wake him. Standing up, I looked down at him. Him smiling and holding the baby girl flashed back into my mind. Shaking my head at it, I went into the bathroom. We would never have kids, I don't know if we, well I, could handle it. I'd be paranoid and panicky the whole time, considering past events… If I did get pregnant, it would probably be a burden for everyone else. They probably wouldn't mind, but what if I or the baby didn't survive… I've cheated death too many times already.

Somehow, the house had running water. I turned on the water and took a half ass shower. There wasn't any soap or shampoo, so I kinda just rinsed off. Standing in that shower was probably the most relaxing thing I've done in a long time.

"Dodger?" Daryl's raspy voice entered the bathroom

I poke my head out from behind the shower curtain, "Hm?"

"Is that running water?" He tilted his head a little

"Yeah I didn't think there was any"

"This place ain't got any power though…" He scratched his head

"I don't know then" I shrug

He began to take his shirt off, which made me want to get out. I was still a disaster, my side was bruised badly. It's not that I didn't want to be in here with him, I just needed time to recover.

I grabbed my towel and got out as he was getting in. "Where you goin'?" He asks, not making me stay, but I could tell he wanted me to.

"Back to bed" I shot him a small smile as I moved my wet hair out of my face

"Alright fine" He sighs

The sun had set, the dark of night taking over. Daryl went out to tell everyone I was back and all that. No one has come by, he probably told them to wait until tomorrow. He was gone for some time, and for the time he was gone I got so bored in bed that I braided all the hair on my head. They were small tight braids everywhere you looked.

"I'll have a damn afro tomorrow…" I sigh, a small chuckle following

"An afro huh?" Daryl asks, entering the room with a smile on his face

I nod and go over to him, hugging him tightly. I was so short compared to him, my head easily rested on his chest. He placed a gentle kiss on my forehead, his hands around my waist.

"Everyone can't wait to see you…" He says, resting his head on mine

"I bet" I sigh

"Why the sigh?"

"Are they still going to look at me like I'm a killer or something?"

"They shouldn't. If they do, don't worry about them. They're missin' out" Picking me up, Daryl carries me over to bed and sits me down

Acting like the little kid I've been lately, I pulled him down too. As he kicked off his boots I sat on his lap, snuggling close to him.

"May I change" He laughs a little

"Fineeeeee" I let out a fake annoyed sigh and climb off

He changed his pants and took his shirt off, then came back over to me.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

"C'mere" He pulls me over, wrapping his arms around me

Getting comfy, lying close to him, a question came to mind. "Why Propofol? And where the hell did you get it"

I wasn't pissed or aggravated, I just wanted to know.

He took a deep breath and played with my hair, slowly taking out all of the braids. He was looking at the ceiling, deep in thought.

"Well, I think I should explain everythin' and tell you along the way"

I sit up a bit, my head on his chest, "I'm all ears"

"Alright well, before we went into the church I had a bad feeling that someone or something was following us. Without even thinking, I went for it. I never said anything about you because I thought you came in or went out huntin'. I was obviously wrong. When I touched your stitches, I didn't think they hurt that much. You popped your stitches because of me, and when I went to fix them, I only made things worse. The Propofol was somethin' my brother had. He was a druggy, had anythin' ya wanted… I knew it relaxed the body and put ya out for awhile, but I think I gave you what my brother used to talk about takin'. I shouldn't have given ya so much…" He paused for a moment before speaking again

"When I went to help you, I panicked every time Dodger. Panicking obviously made things worse. I only panicked because I didn't know how to save the girl I loved. I didn't know how to treat what you needed. I was never raised on how to treat girls, I just dealt with my older brother. I never meant to hurt you Dodger, or put you in that coma. I didn't know I was such a monster until now…" Daryl refused to look at me the entire time he spoke. Maybe it was if he did look at me, he'd cry.

"Daryl, I understand everything, before you even said anything. Please don't put all this on yourself, you didn't know any better. I forgive everything you did. That's the past. I love you for who _you_ are Daryl, not who you were last week. I know the real you, and this is it. Not the other you. I know you weren't sure about the things you did, I saw that. Daryl, we can start over now… We have each other… Back at the creek, I looked at my reflection in Carol's knife and all I saw was a monster. Maybe that's what we are now, and we can't help that..." As I spoke to him gently, I wiped away the tears that rolled down his cheek with my thumb.

His hand slowly and gently raised my shirt to see my side. The bruising ranged from yellow to dark purple, pretty nasty if you ask me.

"But I did that to you…" He looks down at me, hurt in his eyes. He could barely speak...

"But that wasn't the _real_ you" I took his hand into mine and kissed his cheek

"We're putting what happened behind us, just forget what happened completely okay? I'd never hold it against you even if I didn't make it, so don't hold it against yourself, please?"

"Dodger… I-" The tears he cried haven't left

"Daryl stop…" The calmness I held in my voice slowly began to ease him. I brought my lips to his, I passionately kissed him, showing him it was okay.

Daryl and I stayed cuddled close all night. I don't remember what we talked about, but we ended up making each other laugh and smile. This is how it was always supposed to be, we were made for one another. We were the missing puzzle pieces to each other's lives. I've never felt so happy with someone outside of family. The only thing that would make my life a little better right now is Enid. The possibilities of finding her were slim, but I couldn't give up on her. She was my real family. The only thing I had left of family for years…

"Sunshine can I ask ya somethin'?" Daryl asks, the sun slowly coming up from the horizon

"What's that?" I pushed his bangs out from in front of his ocean blue eyes

"The times you woke up cryin', I never asked, but why" He looked down at me, not forcing me to answer

"If I ever wake up crying, it because I had a dream about my sister" I'll admit, the last time I woke up in tears wasn't because of her, but I couldn't tell him that

"You got a sister?"

"Oh I never told you? My bad, love. Her name is Enid, she's three years younger than me" Happy memories of her and I flashed in my mind, putting a smile on my face

"...Where is she?" He reluctantly asked, but I was going to tell him anyway

"First day the world went to shit, we got separated. It was all my fault. If Enid is still out there, I hope she still has the gun and knife I gave her… I trained her on how to use them and how to kill before we ventured off our property… I just hope and pray she didn't do anything stupid and that our dad is lookin' over her"

"When we go out, we'll look alright? Ya think she'll like me?" Daryl joked about the last part, but he was serious about finding her

I nodded and smiled, he knew how to make me happy in a short sentence. He knew I didn't need a mushy paragraph explaining why he loved me. If someone loved me like he did, they would care enough to know.

After we heard the normal commotion from the rest of the group, we got dressed and prepared for the day. Putting my crossbow back over my shoulder felt so good, I knew something was missing... I left my hair down, my outfit choice not really changing. I was back to wearing my skinny jeans, boots, and muscle shirts (tank tops).

"Ready?" Daryl asks standing by the front door

With a nod, I followed him out to everyone else. The walk wasn't long, but I did pick up on the fact that the house Daryl and I were staying in was farther away than everyone else's. It didn't bother me that we were farther, it was more space. But it also left us more vulnerable and defenseless if a hoard happened to stumbled by.

"Dodger!" I heard Carl yell, kicking out of my thoughts

"Carl!" I held my arms open to him, Judith in his arms

I took Judith from him and hugged them both tightly.

"I thought the church was it…" Carl said quietly so only him and I could hear

"Oh come on, I'm not that weak" I tease, a small smile forms on his lips

"Mama..." Judith says resting her head on my shoulder

"Oh Judith…"

"She wouldn't stop calling you, well mom, the whole time…" Carl smiles and fixes her hair

"Well look who it is" Rick calls from behind me

"I'm alive, can ya believe it?" I laugh

"You cheat death so many times, ya know that?"

"Yeah she does" Daryl chimes in


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

Carl takes Judith from me and goes off and feeds her. Not really anyone else came over besides Carol, Michonne, and Maggie. Everyone else still hasn't really changed their views about me. Cool.

The whole group sat together in the dining room of a large house eating breakfast, supplied by Daryl. I was sitting next to Daryl, rather close because we were tight on room, Judith on my lap. He had his arm around me as I entertained Judith. She almost made me want to have my own baby…

"So… You thinking about your own?" A redheaded man asks from across the table

"Excuse me?" I ask, wondering if I should be offended or not

"The baby, I mean you always have her. Why not have your own?"

Did this asshole just tell me what to do with my life? I stood up with Judith and went onto the front porch without a word. I left the screen door open and all I heard was a smack and a girl yelling at who I believe was Abraham. It was better for me to just walk out, he could say I'm weak or whatever, I just didn't want to start anything.

I was cradling Judith and she started drifting off to sleep. I still couldn't get over the fact that the red headed man had the nerve to tell me I should have my own child. I held Judith close as she slept, she was practically my step-daughter...

"Dodger...?" Daryl questioned quietly from behind the screen

"Hm?" I turned to face him

He looked at Judith asleep in my arms and motioned me to come inside. "It's quiet, c'mon," he whispered

I stood up and went upstairs to the room Rick and Judith shared. Daryl opened her playpen he found in the basement and put a blanket down. Gently laying her down and putting her blanket over her, I placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. A good night kinda deal mothers do...

Standing back up, I felt Daryl's arms snake around my waist and hold me close. We were both looking at her as she peacefully slept. Daryl had something to tell me, I knew he did. I took his hand into mine and kissed his cheek.

"She's okay for now" I whisper

With a nod, he leads me out and quietly closes the door behind us. Holding my hand, he lead me back to the front porch and closed the regular door behind us.

"What's on your mind?" I ask, sitting on the railing

"A lot, but mostly what the fuck head Abraham said to you. It took everything inside of me not to punch him the mouth. Rosita stood up for you and smacked him across the face"

"Rosita smacked him, for me?" I tilt my head, still taking in what he just told me

"Yeah, took him in the kitchen and started yellin' at 'em too"

"Damn... Guess you were right about everyone..."

Daryl came over and stood in front me, "I told ya that they liked ya, but they just didn't show it to you"

After taking in the fact that they actually supported me now, I went back to what he said before. "What's on your mind about what he said Daryl" I looked up at him, his eyes dark again

He looked down at me, "I love seein' you with kids. Ya seem so happy..."

I knew where he was going with this...

"And I was wonderin' if ya really wanted one. Regardless of what Abraham had to say, actually wanted to ask you before but shit happened..."

I let out a small sigh and placed a hand on his cheek, "I really don't know if I could go through that again considering I lost one... It's nothin' against you trust me. I would love to have a family of our own but I don't know of I'm emotionally ready..."

I felt like such a bitch telling him that but I'd rather tell him the truth than lie to him...

"It's alright baby, it's up to you. I wasn't gonna force ya. I understand, maybe later on?" I couldn't tell if he was upset that I said no but he understood, I saw that.

"Maybe" I wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged him tightly, not wanting to ever let go

My head rested on his chest, his heartbeat filled my head. For some reason, it calmed me more than anything. I thought about my dream I had, where we had a family. Maybe we did have to wait.

As I opened my mouth to tell him about the dream, I heard someone clear their throat. I opened my eyes to see Rosita, Eugene, and Abraham standing at the door. Rosita was looking down at her feet, Eugene looked a little concerned, and Abraham looked like he just kicked in the dick a few times.

"How long have y'all been there..." I question, not pissed off

"Well we were about to come out when we heard you talking so we stood by the door. When you stopped we came out" Eugene stated

"Oh okay..." I was still confused on why they were all out here

"Look, Dodger, we accidentally listened to your conversation. I'm sorry about everything that has happened before, and what just happened. And please, if you need to talk I'm here, I always have been. I just never came up to you to let you know that" Rosita said kindly, hugging me afterwards

"Thank you..."

"And what you gotta say" Daryl said coldly to Abraham

"I think we both know why I'm out here now" Abraham spoke quietly, intimidated

"Well get started" Daryl said, sitting on a chair and pulled me onto his lap

I put my head on his shoulder and listened to Abraham. Daryl took my hand, our fingers intertwined.

"What I said earlier was really unnecessary. At the time it just seemed right to ask. I know Judith ain't yours and to me it seemed like you were taking her away from her real family" Abraham paused

"After Rosita talked some sense into me and hearing about your past, it was mighty fucked up of me to say that. I didn't know you miscarried, I shouldn't have said that to you" He paused again

"I'm sorry, I really am..." He looked at me, guilt in his eyes

When Abraham spoke I felt Daryl's pulse getting faster, he was aggravated. I started rubbing small circles into his hand, trying to calm him down. It ending up working, thank God.

"Just don't do it again" I told Abraham sternly

"I won't"

At that, Abraham and Rosita went back inside. Eugene lingered for a second then went in, shutting the door behind him.

I looked at Daryl, confused on what just happened.

"Ya saw that too right?" He asked

"Yeah... He's thinkin' about something..." I saw it plastered all over his face

"So are you" His grip around my waist gets a little tighter, holding me close


	31. Chapter 31 - ALMOST THE END?

**Chapter 31**

I stood up, to make things easier, I sat on his lap straddling him, putting my hands behind his neck. The tiniest grin grew on his face, he was hiding in the entire grin.

"Well this isn't what I exactly had in mind, on the porch at least. But yeah, I do have somethin' on my mind"

"You can tell me" His hands now on my hips

I heard a creak on the porch but brushed it off my shoulder.

"The other night, when I fell asleep and woke up cryin' wasn't because of Enid... I had another dream..." I paused, gathering my thoughts

"We were in a nice house, everything was quiet, almost as if everything was normal... I was making pancakes and sausage in the kitchen when you came in with a little girl in your arms. She wasn't Judith, she had your eyes and my hair... And when I was putting fresh pancakes on the table, I felt something weird. When I looked down, I was pregnant..." I didn't know where to go after that, I wasn't even looking at him anymore.

"Oh sunshine..." He said quietly, trying to feel my pain but I could tell he wanted a family.

"I don't know if I'm ready but it seemed so perfect. We were so happy, I mean we are now but it felt so real Daryl..." I could feel the tears swell in my eyes. I felt so bad that I wasn't ready but he was

"Baby don't cry please, it's okay, I promise you that. I bet you it was perfect, because we are perfect together" A small smile of reassurance formed on his lips

"But I feel that I'm letting you down. I can see in your eyes that you want a family of our own but I can't give you that. The only thing you want, I can't give you…"

"Dodger stop, that ain't true. Yeah I do want our own family but I'll have to wait and that is perfectly fine. The only thing I want anymore is you, Dodger…" He paused right before his last thought

'The only thing I want anymore is you, Dodger,' ran through my head. He was right, I shouldn't feel too bad. Maybe we weren't even ready to start a family…

I heard a louder creek this time, we both looked over at the same time. What we found was Carl, and Rick coming out the door looking for him.

"Why didn't you tell me you were out here?" Rick asked Carl, not even acknowledging who was behind him.

Without a word, Carl stood up and went back inside followed by Rick.

I heard commotion coming from inside, it didn't bother me but I felt so crowded and bombarded already.

"Hey can we go back to our house?" I ask standing up

"Yeah of course we can. You okay?"

"Yeah why wouldn't I be?"

"Just seems like you got somethin' on your mind" Daryl says, taking my hand leading me off the porch

"I always do but not in particular"

With a small nod, we walked to the house.

When we got inside, I kicked my boots off by the front door and laid my crossbow on the couch.

"We don't need that right?" I ask

"Do we?" I saw a small smirk on his face, even though I could see the side of it.

I rolled my eyes and threw my hair into a messy bun, entering our bedroom. Plopping on the bed, laying on my left side my right leg pulled up towards my chest. I buried my face into the bed and zoned out. I didn't think about much, I didn't really want to anyway. It wasn't long before I felt Daryl crawl into bed from behind me. He laid close to me, his arm wrapping around my waist. His breath grazed my neck, sending chills down my spine making me shiver. After I shivered he laughed, "What was that about?"

"You sent chills down my spine, nerd" I smile

"I bet I did" His voice got deeper, he was closer to me now

"And what do _you_ think you are doing" I tease, rolling over to look at him

"Not too sure, yet" Our faces were inches apart

"Now that's a lie. Your shirt's off"

Daryl didn't know what to say now, I had caught him off guard. I did that a lot…

"True…" He said, almost sounding defeated

"You're so cute ya know that?"

"Nah, you are" An innocent smile formed on his lips

"Ew what's wrong with you" I tease

He had distracted me so much that I didn't even notice what he was doing… He had slowly started undoing my pants, and slowly riding up my shirt.

"Nothin' much" I felt his hand on my almost bare hip. He somehow managed to slide my pants below my ass

"Such a liar…"

"Oh come on Dodger" He sat me up

"Yes?" I was very obviously playing stupid

He raised an eyebrow at me and shook his head in all good ways. I took off my shirt and my shirt only.

"Oh look we match!" I laugh

"Almost"

"Almost?"

That's when he pinned me down, and the rest is pretty self explanatory…


	32. Chapter 32 - FIN

**Chapter 32 - THE END?**

*Carl's POV*

When I went out onto the porch, I wanted to see what Dodger was doing for the rest of the day. Maybe her and I could hangout or she could show me how to use her crossbow. I sat on the porch, waiting for her and Daryl to finish talking.

I didn't say anything, I tried not to pay attention to what they were talking about but I how could I not, they were right next to me… When Dodger was telling Daryl about her dream, I didn't know what to think. Then she was talking about how she wasn't ready for a baby again. I didn't really know what she meant when she said again, but after I listened for awhile, I figured it out… She lost a baby before it was born… That's why when she first met Judith she didn't want to hold her and that's why she almost cried when Judith called her 'Mama.'

I didn't know what it was like to lose a child or sibling but I knew what it was like to lose your actual family. Now I got why she was so caring to Judith and I. We were like step children to her. Dodger really wasn't a mom to me, but I looked up to her. Dodger and Daryl were so close but I didn't want Judith and I to get in the way of them.

When my dad came out looking for me, he didn't even notice that Dodger was straddling Daryl behind him. He took me inside and that was that. Sitting me on the couch, he went into the kitchen and I heard Abraham propose something to my dad.

"Hey Rick?"

"Yes Abraham?" My dad answers

"Me, Eugene, and Rosita are going to Washington"

"Why?" My dad questioned, confused on why they were leaving

I couldn't hear what they spoke about after that, I could just hear whispers.

*Dodger's POV*

After some alone time, Daryl decided to go see what was going on. He left and didn't come back for some time. Almost a hour later he returned, looking tired as ever ;)

"What Rick say" I ask throwing my hair up

"Eugene claims he has a cure, Abraham wants to take him there" He wouldn't look at me when he spoke

"Now all of a sudden he has a 'cure'? That sounds like a load of bullshit if you ask me" It was a stretch, it really was

"Yeah that's what I was thinkin' too. And Rick said we are leaving here, we have zero supplies…" Daryl looked at me as if he told me the worst news ever

"We'll be okay" I said calmly, going over to him and resting my head on his chest, his arms wrapping around me

"I know we will but we ain't got any water. The sun has been brutal lately…"

"How far we have to go then?" I look up at him

"Well Abraham, Eugene, and Rosita are taking a car they found…"

"You're kidding right"

"Wish I was" Again, he looked crushed

"When are we leaving… It's nearly noon"

"...Now" Daryl grabbed my shirt and put it on me

"Rick isn't being serious... We didn't even have a meeting!"

"He wants to talk to you 'bout it but I can tell you right now there is no changing his mind..." Daryl gently kissed my forehead

With a sigh, I grabbed my boots and slipped them on. "I'll be back shortly"

Before I could walk out the door Daryl grabbed my wrist pulling me over to him. I couldn't speak, he pulled me into a simple kiss. "Just don't hurt nobody"

"I won't I promise" I smiled, grabbed my knife, and went to find Rick

Arriving at the house we had breakfast in, I entered without a knock. "Rick?!" I called, my voice echoing throughout the house

"Dodger what's wrong?" Carl asked

"I need your dad. Need to talk to him alone"

Carl nodded and ran out the house, soon returning with his father.

When they entered, I was sitting on the armrest of the couch looking at my knife. Man I needed to clean and sharpen this thing...

"Everything alright?" Rick asked, not sounding the least bit concerned.

I looked up at him, my eyes slightly narrow. Carl quietly left, closing the front door behind him.

"Yeah, everythin' is fine and dandy Rick" I reply sarcastically

"Well what's on your mind then?"

"Why we are leaving right now, that's what"

"What's wrong with that?" He asks confused

"Did everyone agree on this? Did you call a meeting? Whatever happened to us, the rest of the group and what they thought? This isn't 'Ricktatorship', we all decide on what goes on Rick" You could hear the anger in my voice but I tried not to get too angry

"I thought you would have been alright with this..."

"Yeah I would have been, if we had supplies!" I was starting to lose it, my hands started making gestures as I protested

"We can scout ahead a few miles before we go, don't worry" He tried telling my reassuringly

"From here to Washington is all highway. There is no 'pitstop' or 'supermarket' we could clear out. If _you_ don't come up with supplies for us before we leave, I'm taking a vote of who wants to stay with me before we leave, so no one dies on us" And with that, I stormed out of the house and off the porch. Carl didn't stop me, he heard what happened.

After returning to the house, Daryl didn't want to ask what happened but I could tell he wanted to know, who wouldn't? I was honestly against Rick on his decision to leave right now. He was putting everyone of us at risk, for some stupid cure that's probably a load of bullshit.

"Hey Dodger?" Daryl asked sitting next to me under the oak tree

"Yeah?" He was going to ask, I knew he was going to ask

"What Rick say after you talked to him" He didn't want me or anyone else for that matter to go out

"Well I told him that if he doesn't gather supplies for us, I'm taking a vote on who wants to stay with me or go with him. If they want to go with him, they can. I will not force anyone to stay with me or go to Washington, not even you Daryl. Whoever stays with me, I will look out for them and protect them like family" Telling him that he could go killed me to say and killed him too, but what if he wanted to see the cure...

"For one, I would never leave you because that is the stupidest thing I have ever done. And I knew you were going to do that" He smiled

"I was going to do what?"

He took my hand in his and looked up at the clear sky, "See who wants to stay with you, treat them like your real family. Rick was right about you when we met in the woods that night"

My cheeks may or may not have turned a light shade of pink when he complimented me on my leadership. "So who do you think will stay with me?"

"Probably everyone besides Rosita and them. I know I'd stay" A smirk grew on his face

"Don't you think Rick'll be pissed if his kids stay with me and not go with him?"

"That's his fault not yours, he would be putting his own kids at risk if we all left right now" Daryl stood up then helping me stand

"Let's go round up everyone" He says

I nod and we go to the house, which Rick had already gathered everyone out front.

"Rick is this everyone?" I ask, not wanting to hear any bullshit

With Daryl at my side, everyone still doesn't know what is going on

"Since everyone is confused on why we are all gathered here, I would like to offer you something" I paused and took a deep breath, gaining some confidence. "I am not saying Rick is being a bad person, but he wanted us all to go to Washington today because Eugene has a said 'cure'. Now I am aware we have very limited supplies, so here is my offer to you all. Either you can go with Rick, Rosita, Abraham, and Eugene to Washington to see this 'cure', or you may stay with me until we get some supplies then continue on." Before I could continue, Rosita chimed in.

"I'm staying with you. There is no where I am going to sit in a car or walk all the way to Washington with no supplies," she stood next to me.

Carl was holding Judith, without a word, he came over and stood in front of me. Carol, Tara, Maggie, Glenn, Tyreese, and Michonne all stood behind me.

"...Then I guess it's settled Rick. You, Abraham, Eugene, Bob, and Sasha are going to Washington" I put my hand on Carl's shoulder, my other hand was intertwined with Daryl's.

"I guess it is" Rick was defeated, even his own children didn't want to go with him.

*later in the afternoon*

They were packing the old shitty minivan, ready to leave for Washington. Eugene was sitting in the passenger seat, Abraham driving. Rick was saying goodbye to everyone, Sasha and Bob were making sure everything was packed.

"Dad, all of us will be fine. We have Dodger, we have family" Carl told Rick

Judith was blabbering in my arms, Daryl making her some food

"You going to be alright?" Rick asks me

"Why wouldn't I be?" I say with a smile

"I know you will" He placed a hand on my shoulder and kissed Judith on her cheek

"...I-I lied…" Eugene announced, now out of the van

"About what" The anger in Daryl's voice was terrifying

"I-I don't have a cure… Washington might be safer than here…"

Next thing I knew I was handing Judith to Carl, holding back Daryl with all my might. Without thinking, he shoved me out of the way and went straight for Eugene.

 **~ Well I hope you enjoyed this, even though it was a mess.. I am hoping to do a second story, following the empty roads and so on. Hope to see you all soon. ~**


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